Felix Culpa
by NoEarlyBird
Summary: After the BEGA-incident things have gone back to normal: The Bladebreakers now share a house and carry on with their everyday life. But what's going on with Kai? Tyson and Max first notice something is off when Kai wanders into the kitchen in the middle of the night and starts to take off his clothes… Not that Tysons minds! (TyKa)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade and I do not make money with this.

 **A/N** : Welcome to my new story "Felix Culpa"! I'm really excited about this, because it's going to be my first longer TyKa-Story (so far 6 chapters mind, might turn out to be more). Yeay :))  
In case anyone was wondering what the title means: Felix culpa ("happy fault") means more or less that a series of miserable events can lead to a happy outcome.  
I promise this title will make sense at some point ;)  
Now I'm not gonna bore you any longer.  
Enjoy the first chapter!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 1

* * *

Tyson first noticed something was off when Kai came down to the kitchen in the middle of the night and started to undress.

Not that he minded. It just wasn't like Kai, or like anyone he knew, really.

Tyson and Max had stayed up late, watching movies and eating junk food. They were in the kitchen now, putting away their dishes and what little was left of the snacks. With Tyson around it was actually a miracle there were any leftovers at all. They were chatting in low voices when suddenly Kai stood in the middle of the kitchen.

Uh-oh! Had they been too loud? But they had been barely more than whispering! There was no way they could have woken up Kai this way, right?

"Kai? Hey sorry man, did we wake you?" Max asked and smiled apologetically.

Kai just stood there and gazed into space. Was he even listening? It certainly didn't look like it.

"I swear we were totally quiet, Kai!" Tyson added, "There's no way-..."

And that was when Kai removed his shirt.

Just like that.

Tyson and Max exchanged looks. Something weird was happening.

"Kai, man, what are you doing?" Tyson scratched his head.

Instead of replying, Kai took off his sweatpants as well. He neatly folded his clothes, put them on the counter and left. Just like that.

And no …Kai wasn't wearing underwear.

The minutes ticked by while Tyson and Max were trying very hard to make sense of this bizarre scenario.

"What the hell?" Tyson finally managed to say.

Max was still at a loss for words, staring mouth open at the door where Kai had just disappeared. He shook his head a couple times and turned to look at Tyson. At the sight of his best friends Max couldn't help but laugh.

"Your cheeks are bright red, Tyson. Has little Ty-Ty never seen a naked man before?" he teased.

This only caused the red of Tyson's cheeks to deepen.

"Oh shut up Maxi, of course I have. I was just ... surprised, that's all. It's not every day Kai walks in and strips in front of us."

Max put away the last of the left-overs, still chuckling.

"To be honest, half an hour ago I would have said the day would never come. I wonder what this was about."

"Absolutely no clue. Did he seem a little out of it to you, too?"

Max scratched his head and said, "He did, didn't he? Oh boy, he must be high like a kite!" He grinned. "Did you see his-..."

" _Maxi_!" Tyson quickly interrupted.

Max giggled.

"Gee, Tyson, I was gonna say _abs_! Did you see his abs? That guy has a solid eight-pack! Do you know how many sit-ups I do? And have you seen my stomach? Not even a six-pack. Life is so unfair."

"Yeah, totally unfair," Tyson murmured. This night's events were killing him.

Max grinned. He lightly nudged him with the elbow and said, "And _that_ was impossible to miss. Kai is one lucky guy."

"Okay, that's it! I'm gonna go to bed …before you analyze any more of Kai's body parts-..."

"I'm American," Max threw in and shrugged. "I'm comfortable with nudity."

"...or maybe Ray decides to put on a little show for us as well."

"That would be fun, wouldn't it?" Max said with a big smile. "Oh I don't even know if I'll be able to sleep now. I'm dying to ask Kai what this was about. Maybe I should go ask him right now?"

"He's naked."

"So? Nothing we haven't seen, right?"

Tyson sighed and shoved Max out of the kitchen.

* * *

The instance Kai woke up he knew something was off. He quickly glanced around the room. No, that wasn't it. He was in his room, where he was supposed to be. He checked his body. Everything was moving, nothing hurt. So far so good! Just why couldn't he shake off the feeling that something wasn't quite right? Kai decided that whatever it was, he'd figure it out soon enough. He flung the blanket aside in order to get up and take a shower. Cool air hit his skin and Kai looked down on himself. He put the blanket back down. This was odd indeed. He could have sworn he had gone to sleep dressed in a plain shirt and his favorite pair of sweatpants. Kai glanced over to the armchair by the window. On the little table next to it sat an empty glass. Oh, this couldn't possibly be the reason. Yes, he'd had a drink before going to bed. _One_ drink! One didn't get a black-out and forgot a little moonlight striptease from _one_ drink. At least a Kai Hiwatari didn't. He often had a drink these days. Admittedly, this was a bad habit, but since the BEGA-incident Kai had been feeling stressed out and restless. A drink at night helped him calm down and sleep better. And it was only temporarily, of course, until he figured out what it was that kept him up at nights.

This still left the mystery of his vanished clothes.

Kai rubbed his forehead. It wasn't the first strange thing that had happened to him lately. Once he had woken with his window wide open without remembering to have opened it. It had been raining heavily and half his room had been flooded. Another time, every single light in his room was switched on and he had his feet on the pillow, while his head was hanging off the end of the bed.

Maybe his alcohol tolerance wasn't what he thought it to be. He should stop his good‑night‑sleep‑tight‑vodka‑routine. Tea seemed to work for Ray and milk with honey for Max when they couldn't sleep. Tyson always had some milk with honey as well. It wasn't to find sleep, though; Tyson slept anywhere, anytime. It was because it was sweet and Tyson never missed out on an opportunity to have something sweet. Anyways, it was worth a try.

For now all Kai could do was to carry on as if nothing had happened. His clothes would turn up eventually.

* * *

And they did turn up, sooner than Kai would have liked. When he walked into the kitchen for a cup of coffee his clothes were sitting there, neatly folded, on top of the kitchen counter. How on earth did they get there?! Kai quickly took them to his room before any of his flat mates would see them and start to ask questions.

For him, however, this raised a whole lot of questions - none of which he knew an answer to.

* * *

Today was Sunday and on Sunday it was customary for the four of them to have a brunch together. Regarding the time it was a lot more lunch than breakfast though. A little after noon even Max and Ray lost their patience and hauled Tyson out of bed with combined forces.

Tyson was now sitting on the floor in front of his bed, rubbing a sore spot. They didn't have to be so rough! He yawned. Fine, it was past noon, but he hadn't even slept that much. Last night's events had left him with a lot of thoughts to settle. It wasn't every day one got to see Kai Hiwatari in his birthday suit. Tyson blushed at the thought. He had been secretly longing to see this. Yet, the scenario he had pictured had been a rather different one. More interactive. More romantic.

Tyson had realized that his feelings for Kai where more than friendship and respect when Kai had been injured badly during his match with Brooklyn.

Every hit Kai took, every scratch he got caused Tyson almost physical pain. Yet he hadn't been able to look away and bound by his promise to Kai, naturally he couldn't interfere. Later he'd wondered why. He'd watched Max and Ray fight intense battles before, and yes, it had hurt to see them suffer as well, but it was something entirely different with Kai.

Tyson thought that Kai leaving the Bladebreakers had also hurt way more than Max's and Ray's departure. He then realized how much time he spent thinking about his former team captain. All the little things he noticed about him. How his heart beat faster when Kai was close.

He had been blind not to notice it before: He was head over heels in love with no other than Kai Hiwatari!

This was quite something to digest... Tyson had spent multiple days and nights pacing around his room, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was a) gay, and b) in love with Kai. After the second day of pacing he'd come to the conclusion that him being gay was fairly obvious. For example, Tyson had noticed Max's cute freckles, but never given any thought to Hilary's looks. Like, ever.

After another day and night of pacing he'd made his peace with the fact that he'd fallen for Kai as well. It was just his luck. And he was Tyson Granger, three-time Beyblade World Champion. He loved a challenge! He wouldn't give up until he won Kai's heart (or failed beyond hope). How he was going to win Kai's heart was something he had yet to figure out.

When Tyson had found out that Ray and Kai were going to stay in Japan and looking for an apartment, he couldn't help it. If Kai was staying, it was his chance to get closer to him. Tyson quickly convinced Max and his Gramps that it was time for them to grow up and move out. Getting Ray to agree to the four of them moving in together wasn't very hard either. And once Ray was on their side, Kai didn't stand a chance. Ray had always had a big influence on Kai - which was another reason for Tyson not to let the two of them live on their own. What if Kai fell in love with Ray? Ray was very good looking, he was smart and charismatic. Also, he could cook incredibly well and Tyson knew how much Kai appreciated good food. They had that in common, only that Tyson appreciated not only quality, but also the quantity of food. What he didn't know was if Ray or Kai were even gay, but it just wasn't worth the risk.

Mission win Kai's heart was set in motion!

"Tyson! Move your ass, will you?"

Kai's voice snapped Tyson out of his thoughts. Charming, wasn't he? Tyson sighed and hurried downstairs.

* * *

Sunday was by far Tyson's favorite day of the week. Mainly because of the brunch. Also because he could just veg out in front of the TV afterwards. He slid into his seat between Max and Ray - although he would have loved to sit next to Kai, it wasn't wise during meals because Kai would just take away his plate after the third serving. The others had already started so without much ado Tyson dug in. Croissants, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, mountains of pancakes and so much more - it was heavenly. And yum, Ray had outdone himself with those pancakes!

"Say Kai, did you sneak out last night or did you have a private party up in your room?" Max bluntly asked while staking pancakes onto his plate.

Tyson almost choked on his own pancake. Jeez, Max sure didn't waste any time beating about the bush... Tyson quickly took a big sip from his orange juice to help his pancake find its way to his stomach. When Max winked at him he hurried to wink back. He couldn't let anyone notice his strange reaction now, could he? Now, what would he usually say in a situation like this? Oh, yes:

"Or maybe you lost a bet to Tala? Or was it Bryan? I bet it was Bryan," Tyson teased.

Kai continued eating as if he hadn't heard them. Only the pulsing vein that appeared on his forehead proved he had actually been listening.

"What are they talking about Kai?" Ray asked.

Kai shrugged.

"No idea," he said. Kai honestly didn't have any idea what they were hinting at, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the way his clothes ended up on the kitchen counter. Also, he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the story. Unfortunately, Max and Tyson seemed eager to share last night's events.

When Ray didn't get an answer from Kai, he looked back and forth between Max and Tyson.

"So? What did I miss?"

Instead of an answer, Ray got some giggling.

"Come on you guys, spit it out."

"Oh nothing much," Max finally said. "Just Kai stripping in the kitchen last night."

"Say what?" Ray asked with disbelief.

"There's really nothing else to tell. Kai just walked in, took off his clothes, and left," Tyson added.

Ray turned back to Kai, his eyes wide with astonishment and his mouth opening and closing again, at a loss for words.

Max leaned over and patted Kai's shoulder.

"Nothing to be ashamed of. If I had a body like yours I'd only walk around naked," he said.

Kai glared at the blonde boy, who just smiled back at him and then continued eating his pancakes without a care in the world.

"So Kai, which is it: alcohol or the lost bet?" Ray asked with a mischievous grin.

Oh great, now Ray too. Kai's eyebrow started to twitch, a sure sign of how pissed off he was.

When Kai didn't answer, Tyson said, "I'd go with the bet, he didn't smell of alcohol."

"Maybe it was vodka? You don't really smell vodka, do you?" Max thought out loud.

"Or maybe he was stoned?" Ray suggested.

Okay, enough was enough. Kai pushed back his chair.

"Whoever brings up this topic again will regret the day he was born!" he said.

Then he walked out the door, his white scarf trailing behind him.

The remaining guys shared a look. Max shook his head.

"I don't know what his problem is. I'd be stoked if I had his-…"

"Maxi!" Tyson interrupted.

" _Abs_ , Tyson!" Max laughed.

"Gee, you're killing me…"

Ray chuckled.

"Your time with the Allstars left traces, Maxie," he said with a wink.

Now Tyson was laughing too. Oh yes, Max had really grown up over the past months! Well, they had all changed and become more mature in one way or another. Being that they've known each other for years, everything else would have been rather strange. Tyson looked at his two best friends, laughing and joking with each other, and smiled to himself. Still, it was good to know that some things didn't change.

* * *

 **A/N** : Thanks for reading! As always, I'd love to hear what you think - the more feedback, the sooner the next chapter will be up ;)

Until next time,  
NoEarlyBird


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own Beyblade and don't make money with this.

 **A/N:** Hello everyone!  
Many thanks to James Birdsong, Little A Granger, kyuubi, CRSWoodferns, kaidatinuchan, Sensless, Rapunzelle and jodasparx for the amazing support! You're the best! Seriously, you made me super happy :)  
As a treat, I hurried up with the next chapter. ;)  
Enjoy!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 2

* * *

Just like Sunday was Tyson's favorite day of the week, Monday was, by far, his least favorite. Monday meant four more days of school. Consequently, Monday also meant four more days of homework. Worst of all, Monday meant four more days of getting up early.

For Kai on the other hand Monday was a blessing, for it meant Tyson and Max had no longer time to gossip about Saturday night's events. And with them gone, who was there to gossip with for Ray? Most convenient!

* * *

So the days passed and Kai's strange behavior was no longer topic. Tyson's and Max's minds were fully occupied by school work and Ray usually spent his morning at the BBA training young Beybladers. The rest of the day, he would fill with his second favorite thing: cooking. Sometimes Kai would keep him some company after he finished his morning work-out and they would talk about anything and everything (everything _but_ Saturday night). Kai mostly trained at home, but occasionally he would go over the Demolitions Boys' house to train with his on-again off-again team.

Today wasn't one of those days. Today he had other things on his agenda. Today was the day he had to answer his grandfather's letter.

So, after a short two-hour workout, Kai grabbed a notepad and a pen and settled onto the window seat in the living room.

And there he sat, looking out of the window and yet so deep in his thoughts he didn't take notice of anything that was going on outside. An hour passed and Ray walked in to ask if Kai wanted to try this new pasta dish he created. Kai was so lost in thoughts, he didn't hear a thing and so Ray shrugged and left and another two hours passed.

Lately Voltaire had made many attempts to convince Kai to reconsider taking over Hiwatari Enterprise. Officially, Kai didn't have any interest in running the family business. Unofficially, Kai had been thinking a lot about just that. He could really see himself as a businessman. He'd be stupid to tell Voltaire this though, and give away his greatest trump card.

How desperately Voltaire needed Kai to take over the company was fairly obvious: when Kai had hinted that he might, when he had the time, maybe consider running Hiwatari Enterprise, but had to fix his broken laptop first, he had received a ridiculously expensive shiny new laptop the very next day with best wishes from his grandfather. This sparked the idea in Kai that if he were to fulfill his grandfather's wish, he could as well let Voltaire pay for it... It wasn't that Kai cared for the expensive presents. His parents had left him with enough money to live a comfortably without having to work a single day in his life. Also, after the Justice 5 Tournament the G Revolutions had been getting quite some offers for photo shoots, advertisement campaigns and so on, which he could make a fortune with if he wanted to (which he didn't). No, Kai really didn't need those gifts. They were merely his way of testing how far his grandfather was willing to go in order to convince his sole heir. Because one thing was clear: if Kai were to take over, Voltaire would have to step down and hand the power over to Kai. Every last bit of it! Kai simply refused to run the company the way his grandfather had, with all his shady deals. No, Kai would run the company like he handled his Bey-battles: merciless, but always fair and with honor. And that wasn't possible unless Voltaire had no saying at all.

So here he was, thinking, over-thinking and re-thinking his letter to his grandfather's latest inquiry. Kai knew he had to keep the perfect balance between telling Voltaire to buzz of and hinting at the possibility of reconsideration in the near future for his plan to work. He also knew it was a little mean, but the old man deserved it and it was actually a great way for him to test his negotiation skills.

Kai was so focused he neither heard Ray ask if he'd like to drink a cup of tea with him, nor did he notice Tyson and Max return home and claim the living room table for their homework. He just thought hard about content and phrasing, took notes, and rewrote again and again.

* * *

"Argh rats! I don't get it. I really don't! Man, this sucks."

Tyson threw his pen down in frustration.

Max and him had been spending the last half hour trying to figure out their math homework. By now the large living room table was covered in books, crumpled paper and empty candy wrappers (according to Tyson sugar was the key to every flash of genius).

He glanced over to Max, who was absentmindedly chewing on the back of his pencil. He didn't look too happy either.

Tyson huffed. Then he had a thought.

"Yo Kai!" he called out.

Kai was sitting on the window seat. He'd been either staring out of the window or scribbling on a notepad ever since they got home. Probably another letter to that awful grandfather of his. Kai seemed to have found a new hobby in teasing the old man. Tyson wished he knew what this was about. Well, this had to wait. For now he needed help with his homework. Surely Kai could spare a moment.

"Hey Kai! Kaaaai!" Tyson called again, a lot louder this time.

Finally Kai looked up. He raised a brow in his typical Kai way.

"You graduated already, didn't you?" Tyson said. "So you must know all this school stuff, right?"

"What do you want, Tyson?" Kai asked impatiently.

"I bet you wouldn't like anything more than helping Maxi and me with our math homework. Am I right or am I right?"

"I'm busy." Kai said and looked back down at his notepad.

"Blackmailing one's grandfather doesn't count as busy."

Kai was now noticeably annoyed.

"I'm merely informing him on the status quo and the possibility of future changes if certain requests are met."

"Yeah, like I said: blackmail. Common Kai, pleeeaaase! We've spent forever trying to figure this one out and if I don't get it done I'm gonna get my ass kicked by the teacher again!"

Kai looked him straight in the eyes.

"And I'll clean the bath for you," Tyson added teeth-gnashing.

Kai smirked. He jumped off the window seat and pulled up a chair next to Tyson.

"Let me see," Kai ordered.

Suddenly Tyson was painfully aware of how close Kai was. Their knees were only inches apart and he could swear their feet were slightly touching. Also there was the faint smell of Kai's aftershave, which was simply intoxicating. His heartbeat accelerated and he wasn't able to focus on anything but Kai.

When Tyson didn't react, Kai rolled his eyes and held his hand out to Max, who quickly handed him his math book. Kai's crimson eyes flew over the page, analyzing the problem. He nodded and gave the book back to Max.

"Okay, here's what you're going to do..."

Kai explained and explained, and while Max was eagerly writing down everything he said, all Tyson could think about was the sound of Kai's voice. It was deep and full and really very sexy and Tyson thought Kai even made mathematics sound like poetry. But maybe that was just his one-sided perception... A little sigh escaped him. Oh, how he'd love to have that voice tell him-...

"Ouch!"

A sharp pain at the back of his head snapped Tyson out of his daydream.

"Unbelievable! Asking for help and then spacing out!" Kai growled. He was holding a textbook, with which he'd obviously just hit Tyson over the head.

"Kai, that hurt!"

"It was supposed to. Focus, would you?"

"Alright, alright, I will. Just stop hitting me with schoolbooks, they're heavy, man!" Tyson grumbled.

He tried to move his chair away from Kai without attracting much attention.

"Oh no, you won't." Kai said as he held on to Tyson's chair, clearly misinterpreting the situation. "You asked for help, now you'll stay right here until this homework is done."

Tyson sighed. If Kai only knew how much more difficult it was to focus with him being right there... He glanced over to Max. He must have looked _very_ pitiful, because Max turned to Kai and said, "I think I got it now. I could explain it to Tyson and you could get back to your letter."

Oh thank heavens for Max! Kai gave him a stern look. Then he nodded.

"Hn. Don't give up until you get through that thick skull of his!"

Max smiled and playfully saluted.

"Ay, sir!" he said.

Tyson could see Kai shake his head before he returned to his window seat. Then Max started to explain the problem and with Kai at a safe distance, this time Tyson could actually pay attention.

* * *

When Tyson got up the next morning he was in a great mood. It was Friday, which meant the weekend was only hours away. As he entered the kitchen, his mood became even better. Ray had prepared a stew for them! And made quite a mess of the kitchen in the progress... This was unusual for Ray, but nothing that bothered Tyson much at the moment. He was way too stoked about the stew. Tyson loved stew. Should he..? Oh, why not. Stew was delicious any time of day. Tyson helped himself to a large bowl of stew and after quickly heating it up he dug in. Scrumptious! This was going to be a very good day!

Tyson looked up when he heard the door open. As expected it was Max who wandered in half asleep. Max obviously wasn't ready to talk yet, so he just wrinkled his nose at the sight of Tyson's breakfast‑stew and silently got a bowl of his beloved honey puffs.

In the meantime Tyson finished the last of his delicious stew and went upstairs to the bathroom. Just as he reached for the doorknob, the bathroom door opened from the inside and Tyson found himself nose to nose with Ray. Phew, luckily it wasn't Kai. He didn't know if he could stand that much excitement so early in the morning.

"Hi," Tyson greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning," Ray responded with a smile.

"And what a good morning it is! The stew you made was delicious. When did you prepare it?"

Ray gave him a puzzled look.

"Stew? What are you talking about, Tyson? I didn't cook a stew."

"Huh? But-..."

In that moment Kai's door swung open and revealed a very rumpled Kai. His hair was simply a mess, his face was missing its blue paint and his clothes were completely dirty. What the heck?

"Kai?" Ray asked, sounding astonished and concerned at the same time.

"Man, what happened to you?" Tyson added, not believing his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't like what he saw – quite the contrary, Kai looked adorable and almost human. It was just that Kai usually didn't show himself in a less than perfect state. Though perfect seem to come easy for him. Seriously, the guy made even sweat pants look like haute couture. Again, maybe this was just Tysons slightly one‑sided perception…

"Is that..." Ray paused. "Say Kai, did you cook stew?"

Kai knitted his brows.

"I don't cook."

"But Kai, your shirt!" Ray said and pointed at the stains. Then he gasped and added, "And look at your hands, there are cuts all over! What did you do?"

Kai looked down and studied first his fingers, then the stains on his clothes first. Then he turned around and went back into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Tyson and Ray exchanged looks.

"Well, that was strange," Tyson said.

"I'm starting to think there is something wrong with Kai."

"Yeah, no kidding, it's the sec-... Oh shit, look at the time! I gotta hurry or I'll be late - and I can't be or Hilary will have me clean the classroom again! Bye, Ray."

Tyson grabbed his toothbrush – he'd just have to do that at school now – and hurried off. He'd worry about the Kai-scenario once he got his butt into the classroom on time…

* * *

 **A/N:** Tadaaa, that was chapter 2! As always, I'd love to hear what you think. :))  
Until next time,  
NoEarlyBird


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still not owning the rights to Beyblade and still not making money with this.

 **A/N:** Hello my fellow Beyblade-lovers,

Welcome back to chapter 3 of my Is-Kai-Losing-It-Or-Maybe-Not-Story.  
Special thanks to my amazing reviewers: Little A Granger, Nezumi84 and kyuubi. Thank you so much! It put me in high spirits this week and I got so much done for this story. :)) You rock!

Now, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 3

* * *

A knock on his door got Kai's attention. He'd just finished changing his clothes, after spending a decent amount of time examining the stains. It was a colorful collecting reaching from tomatoes over sauce to the occasional bloodstain, no doubt from one of the cuts on his fingers.

"Kai, I'm coming in," he heard Ray say and the door swung open.

Ray walked in, a worried look on his face and a first aid kit in his hands.

Before Kai had the chance to tell him to go away, he said, "Let me see that."

Since Kai really was not in the mood to argue, he decided he might as well let Ray take care of his cuts. When Ray gestured for him to sit down beside him on the bed Kai obediently followed (which was a first). Without a word Ray started to clean and cover the cuts. Kai could tell he was about to burst with questions though. Any second now. Three… two… one…

"What's going on with you?"

Bingo.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Saturday night and now this... Something is up!"

"You're imagining things, Ray. Nothing's wrong. Saturday was, like Tyson guessed correctly, a lost bet, and last night was a spontaneous - and I might add, quite stupid - idea to cook something for you as a sign of appreciation. Won't happen again."

"Well, I'm touched, really. I'm not buying that story of yours though."

They glared each other down until Ray threw his hands in the air and surrendered.

"Fine, be stubborn. Is there anything else you want to talk about? Those letters to Voltaire, maybe?"

Damn it, Ray was way too observant! It appeared nothing escaped those golden cat-like eyes of his. Kai figured his best shot was to remain silent and keep glaring back. And really, after a while Ray sighed in defeat and got up.

"If you change your mind, I'm here for you," he said.

"Thanks, Ray."

Ray nodded and left.

Kai got to his feet as well. He needed to clear his head. And what better way to clear one's head than a nice long run by the beach. If he couldn't figure out what was going on with him, there was also the option of drowning himself in the ocean. A classic win-win situation!

He grabbed his phone, some headphones and his credit card (better safe than sorry) and headed downstairs. Just as he was tying his shoes Ray walked by.

"Going for a run?" he asked.

Since Ray was only stating the obvious, Kai kept his reaction to a nod.

"Take care," Ray said.

Kai nodded again.

"Hn. Later," he said and went out the door.

It was a pleasant fall day. The sun was out, but it wasn't as hot and humid as it used to be during summer. For a run, it was perfect weather.

Kai put in his headphones, picked his work-out playlist and started to jog down the street. With the music blocking all outside noise, Kai could let his thoughts wander undisturbed. This morning's events where bothering him more than he liked to admit. It was another addition to an ever-growing list of strange incidents. Clearly he was losing his mind! How else could he forget he had cooked a stew last night? Prior to this morning, Kai didn't even know he was able to cook stew. Or cook in general. He'd never bothered to learn it, because there had always been someone who had done the cooking for him. But he was wandering off the topic.

The question was: why did he constantly black-out?

He hadn't been drinking his good-night-vodka for almost a week now, so he could eliminate that from the list of possible reasons.

Think logical, Kai told himself. The black-outs had started sometime after the Justice Five Tournament, so something must have happened or changed since then. What had changed? Well, Voltaire had gotten in touch with him and Kai had started to actually consider a future as a businessman. Could this be it? Sure, Kai took this very serious and he spent a great deal of time on baiting the old man. But was this enough to cause black-outs? He highly doubted it. After all, if his plan didn't work out, he could still tell Voltaire to fuck off and just wait for the old man to kick the bucket. Admittedly, Kai could be disinherited, but regarding the amount of effort Voltaire put into convincing him, it wasn't likely.

So, getting his grandfather to hand the company over to him was just a way for Kai to try himself out. A new challenge, nothing more!

Then, what other possible reason was there?

Out of nowhere Tyson's face appeared in front of his inner eye. Where did that come from? What did Tyson have to do with this? Kai knitted his brows and quickened his pace. Yes, Tyson had a talent of driving him up the walls. There had been times when his presence alone had been enough. Lately he hadn't been as …Tyson though. Kai couldn't put his finger on it, but something about his behavior had changed. It seemed even Tyson grew up. Maybe it was the past tournament's effects on him. Kai realized, even though he'd never say this out loud, he'd actually come to like Tyson's company.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was a side-effect of their last battle. There had been a moment when they had shared a strange mental connection. Not strange as in bad, but as in surreal. It had been an almost magical moment. Time had stood still and it had been only Tyson and him. He remembered how he'd loved the feeling and he knew it had been the same for Tyson. Nothing had mattered, but the two of them and their battle. And then he'd lost. Again.

Before his inner eye he saw Tyson give him his typical big Tyson-smile. Tyson had a very nice smile. It was warm and comforting and honest, just like his personality.

Kai gave himself a mental slap in the face. What was wrong with him today?

He came to a halt. Breathing heavily from the fast pace he'd been running he looked out onto the sea.

How did he end up thinking about Tyson's _smile_? Kai shook his head.

Maybe he should pick up his vodka-routine again and add a good-morning-vodka to it. On second thought, better not. One could see on Tala where a good-morning vodka led: straight to madness.

"Well, if it isn't little Kai!"

Oh no, speaking of the devil.

Kai turned around and saw a smirking Tala jog his way. He made a mental note to only jog on this part of the beach if he was in the mood for an unplanned encounter with Tala.

"Tala!"

"What, no time for a 'good morning'?"

Kai just raised a brow.

"Oh, I see, young Master Kai isn't in the mood," Tala teased.

Unfortunately, while Kai had been with the Blitzkrieg Boys, his grandfather had send his personal assistant to deliver a letter to "young Master Kai" and as fate would have it, Tala had been the one to answer the door. Obviously it had been Kai's nickname ever since.

"To the peer and back?" he asked and pointed at a small point in the distance.

"It can talk!" Tala said delighted.

Kai aimed a punch at Tala's face, but as expected the Redhead dodged it in time. Without another word they started to jog towards the peer. They made it there in peaceful silence. Halfway back, however, Tala seemed to get bored and started to talk about pretty much everything that had happened at his house since Kai last visited. And everything meant _everything_. Kai learned that Ian had forgotten to take out the trash again (why-ever Ian had to do this was anyone's guess; Kai wasn't even sure Ian could reach the lid of the trashcans), Spencer had found a new hobby in solving Sudoku-puzzles and Bryan had fallen asleep in the bath tub last night, drunk as a skunk. Nothing of which Kai ever felt the need to know!

"Don't you need to breathe?" he interrupted Tala after another five minutes of monologue.

"Oh my, you're in an especially foul mood today. Care to share?"

They had almost reached the spot where they would part ways. Tala stopped and looked at him expectantly.

"No. …That is …I need a favor!" Kai said.

Tala smirked.

"Well, wonders never cease. How big a favor?" he asked.

"Semi big."

"Did you kill Tyson?"

"That would be real big, don't you think?"

"I always forget how attached you've become to that little brat. So if you don't need an alibi, what do you need me to do?"

"If they ask, I lost a bet to you last week."

"Wait, that's it? What'd you do that needs to be covered up like this?"

"Not asking is part of the favor."

"No fun! Okay fine, I'll save your grumpy ass from total embarrassment, but it's gonna cost you."

"I expected nothing less."

They continued their way together for a couple more blocks until they nodded at each other and parted ways.

* * *

Meanwhile Tyson was at school - physically at least. Miraculously Max and him had made it there on time. They literally had busted in with the last gong. But hey, on time was on time! Eat this, Hilary!

As soon as class began Tyson couldn't help but drift off. His thoughts immediately went back to - surprise! - Kai.

Tyson was a little worried. What was going on with Kai? He was behaving pretty strange lately. First he stripped down on front of them in the kitchen. Tyson blushed heavily at the thought. Every inch of Kai's body seemed to be etched into his memory. And what a gorgeous body he had. How Tyson wished he could run his hands down that body, trace the lines of the muscles, feel the hot skin and ... okay he had to stop there, or this would become a real awkward situation.

Think about something else Tyson, he told himself, think about something innocent. Like kittens. Aww, kittens! Wait, didn't Kai like cats? He had seen Kai pet one lately, hadn't he? If he remembered correctly, Kai had slipped her a treat as well.

Oh, great, here he was, still thinking about Kai.

After the sudden undressing, this morning's event was the second strange thing within the past couple of days. Why would Kai try to hide the fact that he'd cooked stew? Why would he even cook stew in the first place? Could it be…? Nooo. No, it couldn't be. Stew _was_ one of Tyson's favorite dishes, but Kai probably didn't know that, and if he did, he still wouldn't cook one only for him, would he? For a moment, Tyson allowed himself to dream. What if Kai had cooked it only for him? Maybe his chances of being liked back weren't so slim after all? What if Kai secretly like him? Oh, how amazing that would be… But there were just too many 'what ifs' for Tyson to get excited about all this.

He should better focus on the fact that Kai had obviously tried to hide the fact that he'd cooked. And what was with his rumpled appearance this morning? Tyson smiled to himself as he recalled the image of Kai's messy hair. It had stuck out in every possible direction. And still it had looked so soft… Usually, Kai kept is hair perfectly styled. Oh dear god, unbelievable how much time he spend thinking about another guy's hair.

Tyson then noticed that also the blue paint had been missing from Kai's cheeks. Did Kai oversleep by any chance? They had been living in the same house for almost two months now and Tyson couldn't remember a single morning where Kai hadn't already been out and about. How very unusual…

He sighed.

Then something hit him in the face and Tyson jolted up. He looked down on his desk and saw a piece of chalk lying on his still unpacked schoolbag. Uh-oh… Tyson slowly looked up, dreading the moment when he'd be eye to eye with his teacher. Rats, the way she was glaring at him, she must be furious.

"Um, x equals 3?" he said.

Kenny next to him let out a whimper and out of the corner of his eye he could see Max bite his lip to keep from laughing and hide his face behind his book - his _biology_ book.

Dammit.

"Detention!"

* * *

 **A/N** : That's it for today. I know Kai didn't do anything particularly crazy in this chapter - I still hope you liked it. Tell me what you think? 0=)

Well, have a great rest of the weekend and see you next chapter,  
NoEarlyBird


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer. Still not owning anythignexcept for the plot and not making money with this.

 **A/N:** Hi guys,

so I don't know how to say this but... this is goint to be the last chapter in a very long time, because I'm discontinuing the story.

Nah, just kidding. Happy April Fools Day everyone! :D Have you fooled anyone today? Haha, if you did I hope you came up with something better than my sorry excuse of an April's fool.

Seriously you guys, I could never discontinue this story with the overwhelming support you are giving me. I appreciate it so so much and I love reading about your thoughts to this story and about your guesses as to why Kai is acting the way he is - only one more chapter until that will be explained, btw. :)

A huge thank you to kyuubi (this is gonna be like _your_ chapter - some lovin' for Kai), Nezumi84, Little A Granger, Yuliya89, Inyoface and MasKaiHilFantic for reviewing. Your words make me so happy and they give me the energy to add more and more to this story.

Now, enjoy! :)

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 4

* * *

The next morning Tyson was up unusually early. He had promised his Gramps to stop by the Dojo today to catch up. Later Tyson was thankful he'd actually gotten up when he had, because otherwise he would have missed Kai acting strange Part III.

After a quick shower Tyson made his way to the kitchen. As he approached the door he heard Ray say something like "second one today" and something about this being unhealthy. He walked in and saw Ray leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed and face very serious.

The person Ray had been talking to was no other than Kai. He was standing by the coffee machine and seemed to be making a cup of coffee. So far nothing out of the ordinary!

"Err, good morning guys. Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh, good morning Tyson," Ray said. "You're not interrupting. Actually, it's great you're here. Maybe you can convince Kai to explain what's going on."

Tyson looked at Kai and his breath hitched.

"Woah Kai, you look like hell!"

Kai had dark circles around his bloodshot eyes and his face was very pale. Not that Kai was usually the tan kind, but even for him this was too pale. He actually looked kind of scary.

"Did you pull an all-nighter or are you auditioning for some sort of Twilight-movie?" Tyson asked teasingly. He couldn't help but think that if Kai were to turn into a vampire, he would gladly offer his carotid artery for a snack. Wait, what? Off the topic! Focus, Tyson, he told himself.

Kai rolled his eyes at him and took a sip from his cup. He didn't bother to reply - not that this surprised Tyson. He decided to push Kai a little further.

"What have you got there? Is it something mundane like coffee, or have you moved on to blood?"

"Close. Extra strong triple espresso," Ray said. "At least his second one today, but who's counting."

"Are you trying to trigger a heart-attack?" Tyson asked.

He looked at Kai expectantly. But Kai had apparently heard enough, because he got a bottle of Coke from the fridge and left.

"Oh sure," Ray called after him. "Add some sugar, I bet that's real healthy!"

The door fell shut.

"What's up with him?" Tyson asked and got a bowl and a box of cereal from the cupboard. Ray handed him a bottle of milk and sat down across from him at the kitchen table.

"I have no idea, but something must be really bothering him, if he couldn't sleep all night."

"Or wouldn't sleep."

"What?" Ray asked.

Tyson shrugged.

"I'm just saying that maybe he had something on his mind and refused to sleep until he found a solution. Sounds like Kai, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" Ray said, suddenly looking very thoughtful. "Sorry, Tyson, I just had a thought. I gotta go."

He jumped up and was out the door before Tyson could even answer.

What a strange morning.

* * *

Tyson's guess wasn't far from the truth. Kai really didn't _want_ to go to sleep last night. Only, not sleeping wasn't his method of finding a solution to his problem, no, it was the solution itself! At least for now.

After he hadn't been able to find a reason for his black-outs, Kai had decided to just not sleep. That would be, at least temporarily, a solution to his problem. He was aware he couldn't keep this up forever, but maybe it could buy him a day or two until he figured something else out.

Kai had spent the past night first pacing around his room and then later, when his room had felt too confining, walking around town looking for an answer.

Why? Why did he do things he couldn't recall later?

He had been over the issue with his grandfather and Hiwatari Enterprise again and again. He just couldn't see how this could be the cause.

Every now and then, Tyson's face would appear before his inner eye, just like it had that morning during his run. Kai still couldn't make sense of this. Tyson and he were getting along better than they ever had. They had always respected each other as Bladers, but Kai knew that Tyson had thought of him as an arrogant bastard, and in return Kai was pretty sure Tyson knew he had thought of him as a loud, over-confident brat.

They had come to respect each other as a person as well though. Kai had discovered that behind that loud mouth, Tyson had a strong fighting spirit and a big heart. His ability to always believe in the good in other people and his way of standing up for his friends had impressed Kai. It was something he himself wasn't able to do, as much as he wished he could.

So why did Tyson's face keep appearing?

Around four in the morning Kai had found himself by the beach again. This time of night it was completely deserted. He'd sat down in the cool sand and watched the waves leap against the shore again and again. There was something peaceful about this image.

As he sat there he caught himself wishing Tyson was here with him. It surprised Kai how much he suddenly longed for the other's company. He wanted Tyson to be there, a shoulder to lean on and to comfort him.

This realization had rattled Kai. But then again, wasn't this was friends were for? Supporting each other in bad times? Yes, sure. Somehow this felt different, though. Kai's heart fluttered. His hand shot up to his chest, feeling his accelerated heartbeat.

Strange.

Maybe this was his body's reaction to the lack of sleep. Possibly the abruptly increased consume of caffeine, too. Yes, this must be it. Kai had sighed and gotten up to continue his aimless walk through the sleeping city.

Now here he was, with his triple espresso and a bottle of Coke, tired, and still not smarter.

He appreciated Ray worrying about him. And Tyson had also been worried. He saw those hazel eyes in front of him, looking at him with concern and something else Kai couldn't quite identify.

Oh, enough with this already! First his smile, now his eyes - the lack of sleep was really getting to him.

Kai emptied his cup and washed it down with a big sip of his soda. Kai frowned. God, this was liquid sugar. No wonder Max was always this hyper; he drank this stuff like it was water!

Kai yawned. Oh no, there was no way he would give in to his urge to sleep. Sleeping meant losing control and eventually doing things he wouldn't be able to recall later. He couldn't fall asleep! He had to stay in control!

Determined, Kai reached for the coke bottle again.

* * *

In the meantime Tyson had reached the Granger dojo. His grandfather had gone to the kitchen to prepare some tea for them, so Tyson was sitting by himself in the engawa, the outer corridor, and looked into the garden. He thought about endless hours of training he had spent here with his friends. And with Kai.

Tyson furrowed his brows as he thought about this morning. Something was really wrong with Kai. Tyson had felt such an urge to take him into his arms and tell him everything would be fine, it had been hard to control. It was getting harder to keep his distance. Tyson sighed. He couldn't go on like this. He needed to make a move. And he needed to figure out what was bothering Kai, because that couldn't go on like this either.

Tyson jumped to his feet, just as his grandfather walked around the corner with the tea.

"Hey, were ya think ya going, Tyson?" Gramps yelled.

Tyson was already running towards the gate.

"Sorry Gramps, gotta go, thanks for the tea!"

He didn't even see his grandfather shake his head, a loving smile on his face, anymore.

* * *

Tyson ran all the way back to the house. He would do it! He would confront Kai and get the truth out of him and then he'd show him that he, Tyson, would always be there for him.

Tyson stormed through the front door, kicked off his shoes before he scrambled up the stairs and burst through Kai's door.

"Listen Kai, I -…" he began.

Then his eyes fell on Kai. Kai was on the floor doing push-ups. He was shirtless and sweat glistened on his bare skin. Within a split-second Tyson blushed heavily.

"Err, sorry, I should've knocked," he managed to say.

Kai got to his feet and rolled his eyes. He pointed at a towel hanging by the door and Tyson quickly moved to hand it to him. He stretched out his hand, just as Kai was about to take it from him. Their fingers touched and Tyson froze mid-motion. His eyes locked with Kai's and for a moment time stood still. Tyson lost himself in the other's crimson eyes. Then those eyes widened and Kai pulled the towel from Tyson's grip. Was Tyson imagining it, or did Kai blush slightly?

Realizing the situation, Tyson's own cheeks darkened further and he didn't know where to look. His heartbeat accelerated quickly and the part of his hand that had touched Kai's felt warm and tingly.

"I, err, I , uhm, sorry, I…", he stuttered.

"Quit stuttering, Tyson, and tell me why burst into my room," he said while he used the towel to wipe the sweat of his forehead. "I hope for you that it's a real emergency situation."

"I err…" Tyson was too occupied watching Kai's every move to phrase an answer. What was it he wanted to say in the first place?

"I take it there isn't," Kai remarked dryly. "Is it math? 'Cause, you know, I'm not a professional student tutor."

"Y-yes! Yes, that's it!" Tyson said, gladly accepting this way out. "I suck at math, so Gramps suggested I'd ask you for help. Please, Kai?"

"Hn. Fine. Just let me take a shower first."

"Awesome, thanks man!"

And Tyson fled from Kai's room. In his own room he had to sit down for a second. Math homework? For real, Granger? He'd actually planned on not doing those at all! He definitely had not planned to make his homework with Kai as his private tutor. As if he could concentrate, after what just happened. Damn it, Kai shirtless and sweaty was just too sexy to cope with. Argh, this was fate's way of telling him to mind his manors and knock.

Heavens, what a mess he'd gotten himself into.

Speaking of mess… Tyson quickly glanced around his room. Darn, he'd better clean this up a little. Tyson jumped up and started to collect all the dirty clothes that were lying around and shoved them under his bed in a great hurry. His comic books soon followed and everything that was lying around on his desk ended up in one of the drawer's. Just as Tyson closed the drawer, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Tyson called.

Kai came and closed the door behind him. They looked at each other, both a little awkward. Then Kai pointed at Tyson's books.

"Shall we?"

"Uhm, yeah! Of course!"

Tyson pulled up a spare chair and they both sat down. While Kai was reading the math problem, Tyson couldn't help but stare at his secret crush. He saw how Kai slightly knitted his brows while reading. He thought this looked kind of cute, even though cute was usually the last word he'd use to describe his former team captain. Kai wasn't cute; Kai was radiating pure sex-appeal! As if to prove this point, Tyson noticed how a single drop of water was running from Kai's damp hair, down the side of his neck. Tyson swallowed hard. Oh, he was in trouble!

How was he supposed to think about math, if those beautiful crimson eyes kept looking at him?

Wait, looking at him? Oh no, big trouble! _Huge_!

Tyson had been so lost in thoughts, he hadn't noticed that Kai had finished reading and had turned to look at him, his brow raised in his typical Kai-way.

"Something in my hair?" Kai asked.

"Yes. Uh, I mean no. I mean… water."

Dammit, Tyson, get a grip, he told himself.

"How extraordinary," Kai replied dryly. "Now that we've discussed that, do you think you can focus on mathematics?"

"Yeah," Tyson mumbled. "Sorry."

Oh, how he wished for the ground beneath his feet to open up and swallow him… Every middle‑school girl was better at hiding a crush than he was! It was a miracle Kai hadn't caught on yet.

Tyson pulled himself together and listened as Kai explained the problem to him. The way he guided him step by step through the solution, Tyson had a feeling he actually fully understood a math problem. It was sensational.

Soon Tyson's math homework was done. If he'd done this by himself, it would have taken Tyson ages. Maybe he should ask Kai for help more often… it was a very time-saving way to do homework. Nerve‑wrecking, yes, but time‑saving.

Kai leaned back in his chair and yawned. He looked _so_ tired.

Suddenly, Tyson remembered what he originally wanted to say in Kai's room. He reached out a lightly touched Kai's shoulder. Kai turned his crimson eyes on him.

"Kai, if there's something that's bothering you – whatever it is – I'm here if you want to talk about it."

For a moment, no one said a thing. They just sat there, side by side, Tyson's hand resting on Kai's shoulder.

Then Kai smiled. It was only a little smile, but it was honest.

"Thank you. I think it's something I have to figure out by myself."

"Um, sure." Tyson said and pulled back his hand. "I just wanted you to know, because, you know, we're worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"You look like Count Dracula on a bad day… night! He'd burn during the day, and you don't look burned, you just look like… never mind."

Kai's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"I think we'd all be calmer if you would actually sleep tonight, Kai."

"I might. I don't think I can take but another drop of Coke. I don't know how Max stands it. It's disgusting."

"What! It is pure sugar and simply delicious."

Kai smiled slightly and got up.

"I'll see you later, Tyson."

"'Kay. Thanks, Kai."

* * *

 **A/N:** Soooo... that was chapter 4! As always, I'd be stoked to hear what you thought about this chapter. ;)

Have a lovely weekende everyone,  
NoEarlyBird


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Still not owning the rights to the ever-so-awesome Beyblade series.

 **A/N:** Hi guys!

Wow! Just wow! Thank you so much for the amazing support. Special thanks to Macibasci and to my super amazing reviewers Nezumi84, MasKaiHilFantic, Little A Granger, kyuubi (haha oh good, that means I fooled at least one person on April 1st – sorry fort the scare xD), Yuliya89, silverfish 12345 (aww, thanks so much! Well, you're in luck: just a couple more lines and you'll know what's going on with Kai ;) ), Droplets of blue rain and CRSWoodferns.  
I love reading your thoughts and reactions to this and I'm so glad you like it, because it makes me enjoy writing this even more! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. :)

And now: this is THE chapter! The big moment, the big WHY! Have fun (I certainly do xD)!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 5

* * *

"You sure look happy," Max observed. "Did something happen?"

Max and Tyson had made themselves comfortable in the living room for another Saturday movie night. The table was bending under its heavy load: popcorn, chocolates, gummy bears and of course some tortilla chips and dips. The perfect collection for a perfect movie night.

"Nope, nothing," Tyson answered as casually as possible. He stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth, hoping it would keep Max from further asking. Sadly, it didn't.

"Then why do you look so… radiant?"

"Mapf," Tyson said through all the popcorn. This wasn't going to end pretty; he'd better swallow. Tyson quickly chewed through the remaining popcorn and once his mouth was empty continued, "Can't a guy be happy on a Saturday night? I mean, just look at this: sweets, good movies, excellent company."

He wiggled his eyebrows at Max. Max chuckled.

"Okay, if you say so. I just thought something happened at your Gramps'."

"Nope, same ol' Gramps. So, which one of these babies do you wanna watch?"

Max leaned over and studied the stack of movies.

"Hmmm… how about this one?"

"Sweet, I was hoping you'd pick this one! Let me pop it in."

They'd barely watched five minutes of the movie when the front door opened.

"I'm home," Ray yelled from the hall.

"Hi Ray!" they yelled back in unison.

Seconds later Ray stuck his head into the living room.

"Do you want to join our little party?" Max asked and gestured at their feast.

"Yeah, sure. I'll just take a quick shower and then I'll be right back, but please, go ahead."

Of course they waited for Ray, who took what must have been the quickest shower in the history of mankind. It was even more impressive regarding the length of his hair! Within minutes he was back and flopped onto the couch next to Tyson.

"Should we ask Kai as well?" Tyson asked.

"It looked like the lights were off in his room," Ray said. "I think he came to his senses and went to sleep."

"Oh, finally!" Max exclaimed. "He was starting to look really scary."

The other two snickered.

Then Tyson hit play and together they enjoyed their movie, while munching away on all the good stuff on the couch table. When the movie ended none of them felt the least bit tired, so they continued with another one. About half-way through that movie Ray's sharp ears picked up a strange sound, that wasn't coming from their movie.

He hit the pause button and looked towards the door.

"What's up Ray?" Tyson asked and looked around.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"It sounds like there's someone trying to open our door."

"You mean, like, a burglar?" Max asked in a low voice, his eyes wide open.

Ray shrugged and got to his feet. Without making a noise he tiptoed into the hall.

"What the heck?"

Now Tyson and Max were on their feet as well and followed Ray. The lights were turned off, so it should have been pitch black in the hall. Only that it wasn't. There was a stream of light, falling through the front door that stood wide open.

Max squeaked.

"He got in!"

Tyson had to admit he felt a little uneasy as well. Actually, he was terrified. He frantically looked around for a strange person, possibly dressed in black ninja clothes.

Instead of a ninja, he saw…

"Kai?"

Tyson squinted his eyes. He ran to the front door and really, it was Kai, who was standing outside by the gate. And he wasn't wearing a black ninja outfit either, no, he was wearing a pair of sweatpants. No shirt. Of course he had to be shirtless. Without wasting a second thought as to why Kai was out there in the middle of the night, wearing nothing but sweatpants, Tyson observed how white and silky his skin looked in the moonlight. The light was just enough to suggest the outlines of Kai's more than decent muscles.

Tyson was snapped out of his thoughts when Ray next to him hissed, "I knew it! Lost bet my ass!"

"Huh? What did you know?" Tyson asked. "Hey, hey Kai, wha-..."

"Shhh, quiet Tyson."

"Why?" Max wanted to know. "What's going on Ray?"

"Can't you see? Kai is sleepwalking."

"Oh." Tyson said. "Well, that explains a lot."

Suddenly he felt stupid. Now that Ray said it, it was kinda obvious, wasn't it? How could he not have noticed it before? Well, maybe the fact that he was too busy daydreaming about Kai's body had something to do with it. Just a wild guess though.

"So what do we do, Ray?" Max asked.

They looked over to Kai, who'd just retrieved the mail from the mail box. It looked rather strange. After all, he was barefoot, half naked, and it was about two o'clock in the morning.

"Let's try to get him back to bed without waking him up. I read Sleepwalkers can be very confused when they are woken up."

"Makes sense… How about we carry him?" Max suggested.

"Are you mad?" Tyson exclaimed. "That's Kai were talking about. He'd kill us if he would wake up."

"Good point. Ray, you do it."

"Sissys," Ray teased and smirked.

Then he walked to Kai, who appeared to be sorting the mail by now. That looked even stranger to Tyson, knowing Kai was sound asleep.

"Hi Kai," he heard Ray gently say and watched him reach for Kai's arm. "Come with me. We'll take the letters inside."

After a slight push from Ray, Kai walked towards the door. Tyson and Max quickly stepped aside to let him pass. Ray followed on his heels, making sure Kai would walk in the right direction. He didn't seem to have any difficulty finding his way back though. Still, the three of them sighed when Kai had climbed into his bed, closed his eyes, and slept like a normal person. Only the letters he held on to suggested something unusual had just happened.

They exchanged looks.

"Should we keep watch?" Tyson asked. He didn't like the thought of Kai wandering off again.

Max was bothered by something else though.

"Did you see his eyes? They were open, but somehow empty. It's creepy."

"Never mind that," Ray said. "Maybe Tyson has a point here. Although I doubt he'll sleepwalk again tonight. Sleepwalking usually occurs once during the first third of the night."

"You sure are well informed," Tyson observed.

Ray shrugged.

"I did some research today at the local library."

"So that's where you went off to this morning!" Tyson exclaimed.

And Max said, "You are familiar with this little invention called google, aren't you Ray?"

Ray frowned at him.

"Sometimes it's better not to trust Dr. Google and get your information from an actual book. You are familiar with this little invention called book, aren't you Max?"

"Touché!"

Tyson glanced over to Kai, who was sleeping peacefully and undisturbed by their friendly little quarrel.

"How about you guys go to bed and I'll keep watch?" he suggested.

"Are you sure?" Max asked.

Tyson nodded.

"Absolutely!"

"You can wake me later and I'll take over the watch," Ray said.

Tyson gave him a thumbs-up and then shoved his friends out the door with a "Goodnight guys."

He closed the door and pulled up a chair.

For a while Tyson just sat there and looked at Kai. It made him feel a little like a stalker. But hey, when would he get another chance to study every detail of this handsome face and, - Tyson thanked whatever circumstance it was that caused Kai to not wear a shirt tonight - this magnificent upper body. Sure, during their time as teammates they had always worked out together, sometimes shirtless, but Tyson hadn't been in love with Kai back then and therefore not looked so closely and obviously one couldn't stare at Kai this long when he was awake.

Tyson bit his lower lip, trying hard to keep his self-control. He wanted to stretch out his hand and stroke through the dual-colored hair, run his fingers across those lips and trace the outlines of this ridiculous eight‑pack. Seriously, Kai's abs looked like they were photoshopped! Tyson thought if he were to take a picture of Kai now he could probably sell it for an insane amount of money. And he would probably cause millions of fan girls nosebleed and/or heart attacks.

Tyson blew out some air. Oh man, he needed to do something about this, or someday soon he'd lose control. For now, maybe covering Kai up would help. He scanned the room for something that might help him; a blanket maybe, or a shirt… any piece of cloth really. His eyes came to rest upon a thin wool blanket that lay on the armchair by the window. Tyson smiled. Perfect! He quickly tip-toed over to get the blanket. When he picked it up, the books staked on the little table next to the armchair caught his eye. He wondered what Kai was reading? He dropped the blanket back down and picked up the books instead. All of them were thick, heavy hard-cover books. The top one was a best-selling thriller, so famous even Tyson had heard of it. It didn't surprise him much to find this in Kai's private collection. If he had to describe Kai's room with one word, he'd pick "library", because there were books everywhere: they filled two large bookshelves behind the armchair, were staked around the armchair, staked on the nightstand and staked on the desk. Tyson wouldn't be surprised if Kai even kept books in his sock drawer. He'd never really payed attention to the kind of books they were though.

Tyson put the thriller aside. The books remaining in his hands all seemed to be non-fictional: introduction to business economics, management 101, even a book on arms trade!

How curious. Wasn't Kai's family a big wheel in the arms trade? But he'd always thought Kai didn't care about any of that. Did he change his mind? Was he maybe even thinking about quitting beyblading? Tyson scratched his head. And here he thought he was starting to know Kai – not even close! Maybe he'd get a chance to ask Kai about this …Without revealing the fact he'd snooped around his stuff.

Tyson sat the books down, carefully arranging them the way they had been. He grabbed the blanket and placed it over Kai's sleeping figure. Then he sat back down and sighed relieved. Yeah, so much better. For now, that is. Long-term Tyson would have to come up with something else. Like, confessing? No, too soon. It would come out of the blue for Kai and probably end with Tyson being rejected.

Tyson scratched his head. He'd had this inner debate before hadn't he? Oh yeah, earlier today, when he'd come to the conclusion he needed to make a move. Maybe this time he should listen to his inner voice of reason. Starting tomorrow he would show Kai how much he meant to him. Baby-steps though, obviously.

He looked back down at Kai. He was sleeping so peacefully, it was hard to believe he'd been walking around just an hour ago…

Tyson put an elbow onto the mattress next to Kai and rested his head on his hand. He yawned. As much as he appreciated this opportunity to shamelessly stare at Kai, sometime soon he'd have to wake up Ray so he could take the next watch. He was so tired. The sound of Kai's low, even breathing didn't help. In and out, in and out… Slowly Tyson felt his eyelids drop, but when he realized it, it was already too late to fight off sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** He's _sleepwalking_! Now I can tell: This story was inspired by a friend of mine who actually sleepwalks. She told me one morning she woke up, butt naked and really confused because she'd gone to bed dressed in her PJs... which she found in the kitchen later and then she caught on (lucky for her her flatmate had been sound asleep during her moonlight-striptease). So I though: this would be a really fun story to write down. And I googled and people do the craziest things while they're asleep: they paint, cook, drive cars, write books...

Please, let me know what you think. Do you wanna read about more Kai-sleepwalking-moments? :)

Have a lovely weekend everyone,

NoEarlyBird


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

 **A/N:** Hi guys!

As always I'd like to thank you all for your kind words and your support! Thanks to Thilbo-Fan2 and especially to Little A Granger, Yuliya89, kyuubi, Droplets of blue rain and MasKaiHilFantic for reviewing. You're all so sweet!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 6

* * *

When Kai opened his eyes the next morning he instantly knew something wasn't normal. Sadly, this was a feeling he'd almost gotten used to wake up to...

The good news was that he was in his room, where he was supposed to be. The bad news was that something was definitely off. There was something heavy laying on him and when he turned his head and squinted his eyes against the morning sun, he made that something out to be Tyson. Why the hell was Tyson here, in his room, sprawled half across his bed and dead-asleep?

Kai felt his stomach turn. Something weird had happened last night. Oh god, had it involved Tyson? What had they done? Kai shook his head at himself. Why did he feel so uneasy? What could have happened? Certainly nothing like …that. After all, he wasn't even gay.

Kai tried to move Tyson off him without waking the other. Carefully he inched his way out. Then he paused and rolled his eyes at his own idiocy. How often had they tried to wake up Tyson and failed? There was absolutely no need to be careful if the person sleeping on top him was Tyson Granger, the boy who would sleep through anything from an earthquake to an alien invasion. But when Kai moved again, Tyson unexpectedly stirred. He mumbled something, blinked once, blinked twice. Then hazel eyes flew open and stared directly into crimson ones. Kai watched amused how Tyson's face first paled, then flushed. Within a split second he sat up.

"I can explain!" Tyson said.

Kai sat up as well. Despite feeling uneasy about the fact that he'd apparently blacked-out again, he couldn't help but smile at Tyson's reaction. It was rather sweet. Err, what? Focus, Kai!

He cleared his throat and said, "Please do."

Tyson wriggled about on his chair.

"You see," he said. "Err…"

"Spit it out."

"You _sleepwalked_!" Tyson blurted out. "And I kept watch afterwards. Well… Sort of."

Kai blinked. He what?

"Oh. Well, that explains a lot."

Sleepwalking. Kai suddenly felt very stupid. How could he not have thought of that? Black-out… for real? And even more interesting, how come Tyson had figured it out before he had?

"Exactly what I said when Ray told us," Tyson then said and gave him that big smile of his.

Okay, so Ray had been the one to figure this out. That eased the pain. Still, it was so obvious, how could he not have seen it?

Kai subconsciously bit his lip while thinking. Now that the child had a name, there had to be something he could do about. Maybe he could-…

The door swung open and Ray peeked in.

"Oh, you're both awake!" he said and walked in. "Good morning."

"Hi Ray," Tyson beamed.

"Hn."

Ray made himself comfortable at the foot of Kai's bed.

"Did Tyson clue you in already?"

"I told Kai he was sleepwalking. I didn't get a chance to tell him what he did yet."

This didn't sound good. Oh please, not another striptease. Kai tried to look down on himself without attracting any attention.

"Oh, don't worry, you're still clothed," Ray grinned. "That is, you're missing a shirt, but you already came down that way."

"I was hot," he said, remembering that he'd taken off his short because his room had been so warm and stuffy last night. The sun had been shining brightly during the day and heated up his room.

Tyson stared at him and nodded absentmindedly.

"Yes you are," he mumbled.

Kai raised his brows. Did Tyson just tell him he was hot? What was this about? He glanced over at Ray, who chuckled. Apparently he'd heard it, too. Good, so he wasn't hallucinating on top of things.

"Err," Tyson started to stutter. "I-I mean, err, _it_ was hot! Last night! I mean it was unusually hot last night. Can you imagine? I mean, it's fall and…!"

He blushed and stared down at his feet.

"Anyways," Ray said lightly. "Kai, you sleepwalked outside last night to get the mail." Ray pointed at Kai's hand and added, "It looks like you've got a letter from your grandfather again."

Kai only now noticed he was clutching a couple of envelopes. This was beyond strange.

He dropped them on the blanket – someone must have put this on him last night – and ran his fingers through his hair.

He needed to do something about this, and he needed to do it quickly. Not sleeping had only worked for one lousy night, so he'd have to figure out something else. Like, now!

Ray gave him a slap on the back.

"Come on, we'll figure something out over breakfast."

The mention of food seemed to revive Tyson. His head shot up and his eyes practically glowed.

"Is brunch ready?"

Ray nodded.

"Oh, sweet!" Tyson jumped to his feet. "Come on you guys!"

Kai rolled his eyes and got up. It seemed the matter of his sleepwalking was going to be a public discussing. Oh joy!

* * *

Tyson couldn't get out of the room fast enough. Making a move? Yes. Making an idiot move? Hell no! He had to be _mental_ to tell Kai he was hot. And with Ray present, too!

Tyson quickly stopped by his room to calm down and, since he was here, put on a fresh shirt for breakfast. He banged his head against his closet door. He was such an idiot! Argh! So not cool!

"Tyson? You okay in there?"

Damn Ray and his sharp ears!

Tyson sighed, slapped his cheeks a couple times, put on his shirt and rushed to the door. As he opened it he put on a big smile and said, "Couldn't be better! Just underestimated my strength shutting the closet door."

Ray didn't look very convinced, but thankfully let it slide. Together they walked downstairs and joined Max and Kai - to Tyson's relief now fully dressed - at the breakfast table.

Tyson glanced over at Max, who was gnawing at his bottom lip and staring at Kai as if he'd just grown a second head. Then he looked over to Ray, who was humming a happy tune while he was putting as much jam on his croissant as possible under the laws of physics. No need to look at Kai to know he was glaring them down. That much was obvious. Kai hated weakness, especially his own. Having to talk about his problem with them must come close to torture for him. Tyson couldn't help but feel bad about them confronting him like this. It was for his own good though - if they didn't do anything Kai could get seriously hurt the next time he sleepwalked. He'd already walked onto the street and handled knives while sound asleep! Tyson felt his stomach twist. It was a miracle he'd only cut his fingers.

"Stop looking so cross, Kai, it'll only give you wrinkles," Ray said casually and licked some jam from his finger.

Kai slowly turned his head and furiously glared at Ray. While Max and even Tyson were holding their breaths, Ray calmly returned the look. Tyson couldn't help but admire Ray's courage.

"You know, you've got no one but yourself to blame for this mess, Kai! Sleepwalking is quite common for children, but grown-ups only sleepwalk when under extreme pressure or emotional distress. So why don't you save us all some time and tell us what it is that's bothering you this much. We might be able to help you."

"I'm not stressed."

"It's got something to do with Voltaire, hasn't it?"

"That's nothing."

"Oh bullshit, you spent _days_ brooding over those letters! What is it? Is he holding something against you?"

"No, Ray, like I said it's nothing to worry about."

"Do you wanna quit blading?" Max suddenly asked.

Kai looked over at him, a little surprised.

Max shrugged.

"We'd still be friends, even if you did, you know. In case that's what you're worried about. Though I can imagine someone here would throw quite the tantrum about it."

He winked at Tyson.

"Is that it, Kai?" Tyson asked. He remembered the books on business economics in Kai's room…

Yeah, blading without Kai wouldn't be the same. To be honest, it would really suck. Kai had always pushed Tyson to become better and better, because Kai himself had become better and better and Tyson couldn't help but always compete with him. Without Kai as his rival, Tyson would have to find a way to keep going by himself. He'd miss battling Kai, but Max was right, it had nothing to do with the way they felt about each other. Even though 'friendship' wasn't the word Tyson would use to describe his feelings towards Kai.

Kai put down his coffee cup.

"Let me make this clear: While I appreciate your concern, there is really no reason for it. Neither do I plan on giving up blading, nor is my grandfather scheming against me. As for the sleepwalking, I will find a way to stop it. Until then, I'll keep my door locked."

"You're as stubborn as a mule!" Ray sighed. "Fine, be that way. Meanwhile, we'll make sure to properly lock the front door and the kitchen door, so in case you sleepwalk again you won't get hurt."

Tyson furrowed his brows.

"Are you sure that's enough? He could still fall down the stairs. Heck, for all we know Kai would climb out of a window, too."

"Don't worry about it, Tyson, I'll figure something out," Kai said, his voice making clear the discussion was over.

Tyson, Max and Ray exchanged looks. It was no use. They'd have to leave it at this for now.

Maybe this was deemed to fail from the start, Tyson thought. Kai didn't really talk about his feelings. He sure wouldn't do it front of all of them. Tyson decided to give it a day or two and then try again by himself. Who knew, maybe Kai would open up to him?

* * *

Later that day Tyson decided to check on Kai. He hadn't left his room since their breakfast‑intervention and Tyson was worried he'd come up with something stupid again. Kai had the tendency to do extreme things to achieve his goals, to a point where it got really unhealthy. Like not sleeping – as if that would solve the problem in the long run! Seriously, for someone as smart as Kai, he could be incredibly stupid if it came to his own problems.

So Tyson brewed some tea and placed the teapot, two cups and some cookies on a tray. Carefully he carried everything upstairs. Since he didn't have a free hand he kicked against the door and then opened it awkwardly with his elbow.

"Hey Kai," he said and put down the tray. "I thought you might want to drink a cup of tea with me."

Only then did Tyson look around the room. Usually Kai kept his room very tidy (if one overlooked the books staked everywhere, but even those seemed to be in a kind of orderly disorder). Today, this room was a total dump. The bed wasn't made and Kai's clothes lay on the floor in front of it, completing the picture. The rest of the room was covered in open books, lying abandoned on every surface, half way covered in crumpled paper and notes, kept in place by empty coffee mugs. Right in the center of chaos sat Kai, a pen in one hand and his notepad in the other. Somehow, even amidst this mess, Kai managed to look utterly cool.

Oh, good grief Tyson, he thought, you're hopeless!

He picked up the tray, sat it down in front of Kai and started to pour a cup of tea. Only now did Kai notice his presence.

"Here," Tyson said and handed the cup to Kai. "You look like you could use a nice cup of tea."

Kai dropped his pen and notepad into his lap and took the cup. It seemed to Tyson as if Kai didn't really know what to make of this.

He smiled at him.

"I'm not here to bug you about the sleepwalking thing, I swear. Just wanted to drink a cup of tea with you."

Kai raised a brow.

"Honestly, I won't say a word about it, unless you want to talk."

"No."

"Figured."

Tyson took a sip and decided to wait for Kai to say something. On second thought, this was Kai and if he'd wait for him to say something, he could be here until Christmas… Tyson let his gaze wander across the messy room. Really, it almost looked like his own room in here. His eyes fell upon Dranzer, lying on the armchair amidst a bunch of spare parts and tools.

"Oh hey, have you been working on Dranzer?"

Kai nodded.

"Changed a couple parts that weren't in top shape anymore. Only little upgrades though."

"You know, we should take it for a spin soon. It's been forever since we bladed."

Kai smirked.

" _You_ might have slacked off Tyson, but I've been practicing quite regularly."

Tyson stuck out his tongue at Kai. Of course he had to rub it in.

"Excuse me, but I have school! Gramps would slice me in half if I'd fail my classes. Besides, I meant it's been a while since the two of us had a battle. Unless you're not up to it…"

"Please, with the shape you're in I could beat you in my sleep," Kai said, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Nice comeback," Tyson said and laughed.

He took another sip and when he looked back at Kai the hint of a smile was gone. The cup of tea half‑way to his mouth, Kai was staring at it, his mind somewhere far away. Kai seemed so lost, that before Tyson knew it he had sat down his cup and wrapped his arms around his former team captain.

Tyson realized what he did when he felt the warmth of Kai's body. He felt Kai tense. There was no going back now… Tyson tightened his grip around Kai.

Then he whispered, "It'll be fine."

Kai didn't say anything. He didn't move either. Tyson allowed himself to stay this way, just for a little longer. He took in the way Kai's body felt against his, his scent, the soft hair against his cheek. Then he let go and scooted back.

Afraid of Kai's reaction, Tyson took his time looking up.

Kai hadn't moved a bit. His cup was still frozen half-way to his mouth. Only his eyes were now open wide and (was it Tyson's imagination?) his cheeks slightly flushed.

Tyson felt his own face burn up. Oh wow, he'd just hugged Kai! Oh wow, oh wow! …Oh shit, he'd hugged Kai! He was going to bite his head off any second now.

He took a second look at Kai. Kai didn't seem very angry. As a matter of fact, he still hadn't moved.

Tyson felt his heart flutter. He'd hugged Kai and Kai wasn't angry! This was fantastic! Oh, how he'd love to throw his arms around him again. Err… on second thoughts, better not. He'd already pushed his luck. A quick retreat was what he needed!

Tyson picked up his cup and got to his feet.

"Err, I, um, I'll leave you to it. There's more tea if you like. And, um, some cookies, too. Later, Kai."

And with this Tyson rushed out the door.

* * *

The sound of the door snapped Kai from his trance.

What the hell?

He put down the cup and ran both hands through his hair. Tyson had brought him a cup of tea and they'd chatted a bit. So far, so strange! It wasn't like Tyson to be so thoughtful. But maybe he had been right and Tyson was really growing up. And then he'd hugged him. Just why did Tyson feel the need to hug him? For Kai, the only explanation was that he must have looked incredibly pitiful. Yeah.

His hand came up to his chest, feeling his heart beating quickly. This had to be caused by a rush of adrenaline. The hug had come out of the blue. Kai nodded to himself. Yes, he'd been surprised at the sudden embrace. Surprised and… happy?

Oh, enough with this! There were more pressing matters at hand.

Kai picked up his notepad. He needed to finish this letter. His crimson eyes quickly flew over the lines he'd written. Yes, this would do. He felt like he almost had Voltaire where he wanted him.

Now all Kai had to do is fax it over to him and wait…

* * *

 **A/N:** Whew... So now Kai's in the picture and Tyson's set his plan into motion! What did you think? :)  
So... next chapter Tala is finally going to make a re-appearance and I'll promise he'll get some more scenes after that as well. I hope I can keep up my weekly updates with all this craziness - I'll definitely try!

Everyone, I wish you a happy easter and in case you're not celebrating that a lovely weekend!

Your NoEarlyBird


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, just this plot.

 **A/N:** Good afternoon everyone!

The author would like to "thank you for your continued support", to put in this website's words. It is so great to know that you are still with me on this project! Really, it means so much to me! So thanks to Skyfire2507 and especially to Yuliya89, kyuubi, Little A Granger, Droplets of blue rain, MasKaiHilFantic and Hvalyf/ CRSW for your kind words.

This is a chapter a couple of you have been waiting for... Tala's back! And I can already say it's not his last appearance! ;)

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 7

* * *

Tyson yawned and rubbed his eyes. Gosh, he was so tired. It had taken him hours to fall asleep last night. Too much had happen this weekend! Whenever he was close to dozing off, his mind wandered back to either the image of Kai's marvelous body outside in the moonlight, or him waking up sprawled across Kai, or the spontaneous hug. And of course, every time Tyson's heart would start to race and he'd start to grin and roll around his bed like an idiot, because it was just too much to take.

Tyson yawned again.

"C'mon Tys, we have to go," Max said and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Coming…"

Tyson opened the door. There was a tinkling sound. Max and he both looked down. They glanced at each other. They looked outside. Then they stared at each other.

Simultaneously, both of them spun around on their heels and yelled at the top of their lungs, "Kaaaiii!"

Kai came running down the stairs with a gym bag tossed over his shoulder, looking somewhat annoyed. Ray stuck his head out of the kitchen door and unlike Kai he wore a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked.

Instead of an answer, Tyson and Max pointed outside. Kai walked over and glanced out the door. Then he smirked. In the driveway stood a shiny new sport car, the kind that made men's heads turn and their eye's glow like children's on Christmas Day.

Max picked up the envelope addressed to Kai that was lying in front of the door and shook it.

"I'd guess that's your keys in there."

Tyson thought Kai certainly didn't react like a normal person. Usually, someone who'd just been given a freaking sports car would scream, bounce happily up and down, and scream some more. Kai did neither. For some reason, Kai looked like he'd just won a battle. Tyson couldn't make sense of it. Just what was going on in that Hiwatari family?

Whatever, there were more important things now.

"Kai, Kai, please give us a ride to school? Please, please, please!" Tyson started to beg.

Max immediately joined in, "Oh yes, please! We're super late!"

Kai rolled his eyes but shrugged.

"Hn. I was heading out anyways."

"Oh yeah!" he said and punched his fist in the air in victory.

"Shot-gun!" Max yelled and ran for the passenger seat.

"Dammit," Tyson growled.

He was about to follow Max when Ray said, "Oh, wait up, I made Bento for you."

He held out two Bento-boxes, carefully wrapped.

"Oh sweet, thanks a lot Ray!" Tyson said and took the boxes.

Max, halfway in the car, smiled sweetly and called over, "Thank you Ray, you're the best!"

Kai just looked at Ray, brow raised.

"What?"

"Stop being such a mother-hen. They'll never grow up this way."

Ray stuck his tongue out.

"I'm not a mother-hen! I just happen to enjoy cooking."

Kai smirked and got into the driver's seat.

"Don't forget your seatbelts," Ray called.

Then he facepalmed himself and glanced over at Kai, who was grinning at him.

"Just don't say anything and go already."

"Later," Kai said.

He turned on the car and pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

After Kai had dropped Max and Tyson off at school he headed towards Tala's place. The traffic at this time of day was heavy, which gave Kai a lot time to think.

His grandfather was currently in town and had asked Kai to meet him. In his letter, Kai had asked to postpone, because he was a little too busy at the moment to spend an hour travelling there by public transportation. It was a cheap excuse, yes, but it was just perfect for his little game. He wanted to see if Voltaire would insist on a meeting at his house, or maybe meet him halfway or even come to Kai's house for the meeting. It would be a good indicator of how serious Voltaire was about his wish for Kai to succeed him. Kai hadn't expected a car in his drive way the very next morning. Even though Voltaire hadn't come all the way to meet him, Kai still counted this a victory. It seemed his grandfather was willing to make some effort. Maybe it was time he talked to Voltaire in person.

When Kai stopped for a red light, something in his rear mirror caught his eye.

It was a math book, lying on the backseat. Well, it looked like Tyson was going to be in trouble again. Kai shook his head. How could one forget his homework in the car? Only Tyson would…

Kai wondered what was going on in Tyson's head. This was quite ironic, since Tyson was such a straight forward person. Usually, he spoke exactly what was on his mind, so that there was nothing left to guess about. How come that Kai couldn't tell what was going on inside the other one lately? Maybe Tyson had, without him noticing, started to hide his feelings? But why would he do such a thing? Was this part of growing up?

Oh great, here he was, thinking about Tyson again! Kai sighed. Good thing he was only one block away from the Blitzkrieg Boys' house. Kai parked the car in front of the house and got out.

"Duuude! I didn't know you had car like that!"

Kai looked up and saw Tala hanging from a window on the first floor, his eyes big like saucers.

Kai rolled his eyes.

"Please, do lean out further. With traffic like this we wouldn't get you to the ER in time and I'd be finally free of your insufferable blabbering."

"Aw, it's so sweet how you worry about my well-being, Kai," Tala grinned. "I'll meet you out back."

"Hn."

Kai walked around the house. The Blitzkrieg Boys' backyard wasn't much of a yard. It was more like an outdoor training facility with outdoor gym equipment, one small and one large Bey-dish. Kai would have put all this in their backyard as well, but Ray had insisted on a terrace and a pond with fountain so he could meditate. Tyson and Max had been all for the terrace-idea, because it meant barbeque instead of training.

"If it isn't young Master Kai."

"Hi Bryan. Where are Ian and Spencer?"

"Don't know and don't care," Bryan said without interrupting his work-out.

So much for small-talking with Bryan!

Kai took off his jacket and scarf and started his warm-ups, just when Tala burst out the back door.

"Oh, you got started without us," he said, looking at Bryan. "Why'd you do that?"

"Wanted to get in some extra training. Wouldn't hurt you either; it seemed to me last night that you're a little out of shape."

"Excuse me, but it was three in the morning!"

Bryan picked up his towel and said, "I'll go for a run."

When he'd left Tala growled, "He's in one of his moods again. It's not use talking to him when he's like that. And what for? I mean, it's totally legit to kick him out after hours of-…"

"Spare me the details please," Kai said while pinching the bridge of his nose.

He had suspected that something was going on between Tala and Bryan for a while now. He so did not need to know what those two were doing at three in morning though! It was going to take forever to erase this mental image as it was.

"Oh come on, don't be such a prude," Tala snared. "It's not like you can't relate."

"Rest assured that while I find Bryan to be a pain in the ass, it's certainly not _that_ way."

"Sometimes you can be incredibly dense, Kai! Of course I'm not talking about Bryan."

"I don't like you that way either."

"For heaven's sake, I'm talking about Tyson!"

"Tyson? What does Tyson have to do with all of this?"

"I give up. Let's start with warm-ups."

Kai furrowed his brows. What the hell was Tala getting at? Sure, Tyson could be a pain in the ass. Everyone knew that. He'd changed, though and his company had become much more pleasant. Kai actually felt really comfortable whenever Tyson was around now. However, he had a feeling Tala wasn't talking about that. But Kai just couldn't figure out where Tala was going with this. After all, Tala and Bryan were… dating or whatever, and Tyson and him were… well just them.

Kai shrugged it off. Maybe Tala had just been babbling, like he always did. Better he'd focus on his warm-ups now.

* * *

They spent most of the morning with their workout. Sometime around noon they engaged in a friendly Bey-battle, which Kai was able to decide for himself after some back and forth.

"Someday I'll beat you, Kai."

"In your dreams, Valkov," Kai smirked.

Tala grinned back him.

"Stay for lunch?"

"Sure."

"Dips on showering first!"

"Whatever."

* * *

When Kai got out of the bathroom Tala was already in the kitchen, preparing the only thing he knew how to cook: pancakes. Kai didn't care much for sweet things, but Tala always kept some fresh fruits around and they went quite well with pancakes.

"Say Tala, earlier you-…"

"Have you ever been in a relationship before?" Tala interrupted.

"No."

"But you've dated, right?"

"Of course I have."

"But never serious?"

"What's you point?" Kai asked, getting annoyed with this interrogation.

"My point is, that maybe girls aren't the thing for you?"

"Are you trying to get me to go to a gay bar with you or something?"

"No, just trying to be of help. But I guess I'm ahead of things."

"What are you babbling about?"

"Never mind! Here are your pancakes."

Kai shook his head. What was with this guy today? What made him think Kai was gay? Kai himself had never thought about this. The image of Tyson sleeping on top of him flashed in front of his inner eye. That's right, just yesterday he'd briefly wondered if something had happened while he'd sleepwalked. But since he wasn't gay, there was no need to worry.

"You're _blushing_ , Kai. What on earth are you thinking about?"

"Nothing. It's just warm in here."

"Oh yeah, practically tropical," Tala said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kai decided it was time to change the topic.

"Say Tala, do you have a pair of sunglasses I can borrow?"

"Sure," Tala said, taking the bait. "What for?"

"I wanted to stop by the mall on my way back and I don't want to be recognized."

"What do you wanna buy that needs to be kept secret? Something kinky? You know, you could just order that online, like I do."

Kai would rather swallow his own tongue than tell Tala he wanted to get a pair of handcuffs. Tala would only jump to conclusions. Kai figured he could just put it around his ankle, so he wouldn't wander about the house at night. He didn't really feel like clueing Tala in on his sleepwalking-problem either though. So best he didn't say anything at all.

"I don't want to cause a scene, that's all."

"Gee, Mr. Popular," Tala teased.

Kai just frowned at him.

* * *

After lunch Tala gave Kai a big, dark pair of sunglasses.

"Here, these should go well with your black pants. Ha, I have such an exquisite taste."

"Says the guy who was wearing a horrid orange jumpsuit until recently."

"Ouch, that hurt."

"Thanks for the sunglasses; I'll return them to you soon."

"Don't worry about it, I've got plenty."

Kai put the glasses on and reached for his bag.

"See you," he said and walked out.

He threw the bag with his workout clothes in the bag, got into the car and headed for the mall.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, that's Tala for you! I hope you liked it. Drop a review if you did? Of course, constructive criticism is fine as well ;)

Well guys, have a lovely weekend!

NoEarlyBird


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Beyblade or the Bond movies.

 **A/N:** Hello guys :)

Chapter 8 - this is now officially the longest story I've ever written! *pops Champagne* Special thanks to my great reviewers Droplets of blue rain, kyuubi (where Tyson fits into this? on the passanger seat, of course ;) ), IcePhoniex and Little A Granger.

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 8

* * *

Kai frowned as he threw the little bag containing the handcuffs in the back. That easily made the top ten of most awkward situations he'd ever been in. The sunglasses hadn't done shit covering up his identity. He might as well have carried as giant sign with his name and photograph on it. And of course he had to be spotted leaving the store. Admittedly he'd picked a bad time: school was out and lots of school girls were stopping at the mall on their way home.

He just hoped this wouldn't end up in the papers.

The ringing of his phone saved Kai from further thinking about this.

"Hn," he said.

"Hey Kai! It's Tyson!"

"What's wrong? I'm about to head home."

"Nothing's wrong. How come that's always your first question? Wait, no, don't answer that. Anyways, I had to stay behind for detention and Maxi said you weren't home yet, so I was wondering if, err, you might pick me up from school?"

Kai rolled his eyes, "I'm not a cabbie, you know!"

"Ehehe, I know. C'mon, pleeeaaase?"

"Just this once. I'll pick you up in ten."

"Yeay! Thanks, Kai!"

Kai hung up and cursed himself for agreeing. He wasn't a school bus! Tyson just had a way about him that made it hard to say no…

He sighed and got in the car.

* * *

After Tyson hung up the first thing he did was a little happy dance, because he felt he was going to burst with happiness otherwise. He'd actually gotten Kai to pick him up from school! Dayum! That meant he was not only going to spend some alone time with Kai, but also get to ride in that awesome car again. It was almost too good to be true!

Tyson quickly grabbed his stuff and hurried outside. If he wasn't waiting by the gate the second Kai pulled up, his former captain would probably drive off without him. This was Kai after all.

Tyson dropped his bag onto the ground and leaned against the fence. A big, goofy grin spread on his face. Kai was picking him up. Not Max and him, no, only him! Surely he wouldn't do this for just anybody, right? So that meant he was special to Kai - a bit at least.

Then Tyson had a thought: maybe, just maybe, he could convince Kai to go somewhere? The mall would be nice, or the movies. Oh no, not the movies. It would probably kill him to sit so close to Kai for a whole two hours without being able to cuddle. Also, should he survive, Max was most likely going to murder him for seeing the movie without him. He'd been dying to go for weeks. So no trip to the movies, but that still left the mall, or-...

"What's got you grinning circles? I thought you just had detention!"

Without Tyson noticing Kai had pulled up in front of him. Tyson had to try hard to keep his jaws from dropping. Again, Kai managed to look incredibly cool. He was looking at him over the roof of the car, the eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, one arm placed on the roof, the other leisurely draped on the open driver's door. Damn, how did he do that? If Tyson were to try that pose he'd probably get stuck in the door and/or look like a complete idiot.

Come on Tyson, now's not the time, he reminded himself.

"Hi Kai!" he said with a big smile. "I was just thinking that it's such a beautiful day. We should take that new car of yours for a test drive."

"Is that so?" Kai smirked. "Don't you have homework?"

"Oh, please, don't be such a spoilsport. Let's go to the mall and look around or something."

Did Kai just flinch at the word mall? Nah, he must have imagined it.

"I'm just on my back from the mall. Maybe another time!"

Oh, he was so going to hold Kai to this almost-promise!

"How about getting some ice cream? There's a great shop down by the beach! C'mon Kai, pleeaase?"

Kai didn't seem completely opposed to the idea, so Tyson kept on begging, "Please, please, pleeaase? Pretty please?"

"Oh, okay, fine, but don't you ever say pretty please again – you're not a little girl."

"Alriiight! Thanks Kai, you're the best!"

"Just get in the car, Tyson."

"Ay Sir," Tyson playfully saluted.

He opened the back door to throw his bag in the back.

"Oh look, it's my math homework! Can't believe I forgot them here. And you went shopping! What did you get?"

"Don't ask and get in already," Kai growled.

Tyson rolled his eyes, but quickly shut the door and slipped into the passenger seat. As he put on his seatbelt, he suddenly felt very self‑conscious. This was almost like a date. Oh boy!

No, Tyson, he told himself, it's so not, it's just two guys getting some ice cream on the way home. Yeah, no, this still sounded like a date.

Tyson allowed himself to enjoy this feeling a second longer, then forced himself to focus on something else. Luckily, this car offered thousands of things to distract him.

"Oh, what's this button for?" he asked and pointed at said button.

"The seat heating, of course."

"Hn, not so special. And what does this one do?"

Kai followed his gaze and after short examination said, "That would be the seat massager."

"Ou, now that's cool! And this one over there?"

Dryly Kai replied, "If I press that one the roof will open and you will be catapulted from your seat."

"Very funny, 007!" Tyson frowned.

He glanced over at Kai. Kai would make a decent Bond. Only his hair didn't fit the image; a bit too crazy for the English gentleman. Tyson certainly wouldn't mind being rescued by Agent Hiwatari... Oh, for the love of god! To hide his heavy blush he quickly looked out of the window.

After a couple minutes of silence Kai said, "Where exactly is that ice cream place of yours?"

"Um, there's a parking lot another two blocks down. We can leave the car there and walk the last bit."

"Hn."

As soon as the car came to a halt Tyson jumped out.

"Uwaaah the beach! It's so pretty this time of day."

"Hn."

"Oh, don't be such a grouch, Kai."

"I'm a grouch who happens to have the keys, so if a certain someone annoys me, I can just leave him here," Kai replied.

He might have sounded dead serious, but Tyson could see a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Kai's mouth, oh yeah… he wouldn't mind feeling those lips all over his body.

Dammit!

He'd done it again. Freaking hormones! It was so hard to keep a cool head these days.

"Err, yeah, c'mon Kai let's get some ice cream!"

Without glancing back Tyson made a beeline for the, in his opinion, best ice cream shop in town. And if he said that, it was true. He'd know. He'd tried them all.

"Kai, are you coming?" he yelled.

"Idiot," Kai said, his voice unexpectedly close. "I'm right next to you."

"Oh, haha, my bad."

Why? Why did he always manage to make a fool out of himself?

"Is that your ice cream shop?"

"Oh, yes! That's the one! What flavors do you want? My treat."

"I'm not really into ice cream."

"Oh but it's the best! You just have to try it. I insist!"

Tyson looked at Kai, eagerly waiting for his answer. Hopefully he'd decide soon, because Tyson couldn't wait to get his hands on an extra-large ice cream cone – at least four scoops. Anything else just wasn't worth the trip.

"Raspberry."

"Huh?"

"One scoop of raspberry ice cream, please."

Tyson broadly smiled at Kai.

"Coming right up!"

He dashed to the counter.

"Hi! I'd like one scoop of raspberry for my friend and for me one scoop each of chocolate, strawberry, mango and stracciatella, please."

Minutes later Tyson returned to Kai, humming a happy tune. He held the ice cream cone out to Kai.

"Thanks," Kai said and took it.

"Oh, you are very welcome! Now try it, I swear it's the best ice cream you've ever tasted!"

Tyson didn't take his eyes off of Kai for even a second. He wasn't going to miss his reaction for the world.

"So?"

"It's good…for ice cream."

"That's Kai's language for freakin' delicious. Well, I'm glad you like it," Tyson grinned.

His heart skipped a beat when Kai smiled back at him.

Oh man! It was a Monday, and usually Monday's sucked. Not today, though. Today he was sitting on the beach, with Kai right next him and his favorite ice cream in his hand. Today must be, like, the best day _ever_!

* * *

Later that evening Kai found himself wondering why ever he'd agreed to take Tyson to the beach. To get ice cream, of all things! It wasn't like him. Strangely enough, he'd really enjoyed the time they spend together down by the water. The way Tyson had flipped over his ice cream had been very cute.

...Cute?

Since when was Tyson cute? Kai ran his fingers through his hair. That must be an after-effect of Tala's strange blabbering earlier. As if he was gay! Surely he would've noticed that until now.

Kai froze in place.

Just a second! Was he seriously considering the possibility of him being gay? All because this thought of Tyson being cute had crossed his mind? Girls called each other cute all the time and that didn't make them lesbians. The same must go for guys, right? What if it didn't though? After all, he'd never actually heard one of the guys call another one cute (except for Max; everyone thought Max was cute). So what if...

Oh, to hell with Tala and his stupid talk!

Following a sudden impulse, Kai tore the door open... And found himself nose to nose with no other than Tyson. Woah too close! Quickly he took a step back.

"Tyson!" he said.

"Err, hi Kai! Um, thanks for today!"

"Oh, um, you're welcome. I... It was fun!"

Kai watched Tyson's cheek turn from their normal color, to a light pink, to a dark red.

How cute!

Oh no. Kai's eyes widened. He'd done it again.

"Well, um, good night Tyson!"

"Yeah, um, the same to you. Sleep tight."

And when Tyson turned around and went into his own room, Kai closed his door and saw himself confronted with a whole lot of questions...

Did he find Tyson attractive? If he did, did this make him gay? Had his sub consciousness tried to tell him this all this time and he'd been too thick to see things as they were?

Oh bloody hell, this was bad!

* * *

 **A/N:** What? Is Kai really making some progress? Haha, I felt it was time to get him on the right track. What did you think? :)

Have a nice and lazy Sunday afternoon, everyone!

NoEarlyBird


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still not owning anything but the plot.

 **A/N:** Hello you guys,

Chapter 9 already, wow! This is becoming one monster of a story. Thanks to all those who are still with me on this, especially to the amazing kaidatinuchan who turned a scene from this story into a beautiful picture (go check her out on tumblr guys!) and my lovely reviewers IcePhoniex, kyuubi (you'll see what he needs them for;) ) and Little A Granger. You're the reason I still have so much fun writing this! :))

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 9

* * *

When Kai woke the next morning, he knew right away that he'd done it again. He didn't even have to open his eyes to know, because whatever he was lying on was not his comfortable king-size bed.

He felt a light touch and opened his eyes. Again, he found himself nose to nose with Tyson. And again, Tyson blushed. Had he always blushed this easily? Even more importantly, why had Tyson been stroking his head?

"Tyson."

"Um, good morning Kai! Just wanted to check if you're okay, you know, since you sleepwalked again."

Kai sat up. He'd been sleeping on the couch in the living room, amidst crumpled paper and a variety of pencils. He picked up a sheet of paper. Oh great, apparently he'd spend the night writing a letter to Voltaire. He sighed and tossed it back on the couch.

"I'm fine."

"O-okay, that's good news. Still Kai, we'll need to figure out a way to keep you in bed. I'm afraid that you'll get hurt."

"Don't worry, I got something in mind," Kai said with a grim face.

Last night he'd tossed the handcuffs in a corner, thinking this might be too drastic after all. As soon as he'd get to his room he would fix them to his bed.

Tyson was still looking at him with big, sad puppy eyes.

Before Kai knew it, he'd reached out and patted his head. Realizing what he was doing it was now his turn to blush. Oh for heaven's sake...

To cover this up he got to his feet and said, "Cheer up. Let's get some breakfast, shall we?"

* * *

A little later Tyson was in school, using the time to think about Kai once again instead of listening to the teacher. It was a good thing that at school he'd had the Chief to help him out and at home, there was Max to fill in the blanks, because boy, had he been zoning out lately! He couldn't help it, though. He was just head over heels in love with this guy.

And he was making progress, wasn't he? Tyson replayed the past days' events: there was Kai, helping him out with his homework, Kai not killing him for sleeping sprawled across him, Kai not getting mad about the hug, Kai picking him up from school and going to the beach with him… Tyson wasn't sure if Kai knew he'd been stroking his hair this morning, but if he did, it was one more reason to hope, wasn't it?

Yes, all those little things made Tyson really think that he'd had a shot at winning Kai's heart. If only he wasn't so scared to take the next step, so afraid of the rejection he might get. That side of love sucked big time. But if he were to win Kai's heart, all the sleepless nights and the detentions he got for spacing out in class would be so worth it.

* * *

Kai's day had started out bad and things had only gone downhill from there. This had very simple reasons: for one, they ran out of coffee. If Kai needed one thing, it was a nice, steaming cup of coffee in the morning. So he had to go to the supermarket to get some before he could even think about getting started with his day. Kai hated going to the supermarket this time of day: it was full of little children and old people, and Kai didn't feel comfortable around either.

Also, he figured it was time to meet face to face with his grandfather and get the negotiations on the way, which admittedly got to him. In the past days Kai had realized this was actually really important to him and waking up in between drafted letters was only adding to the proof. He was the competitive type; he needed the victory over Voltaire. Also, the more he learned about economics and the arms trade, the more he could see himself working in that business. To him, business meant constant competition. In in a way, it was very much like beyblading: know your opponents, know their weaknesses, and figure out how to use them to your advantage. It would be a lifetime of challenges, and that was exactly what Kai was looking for; it was exactly what he _needed_.

So yes, he wanted this company badly! And yes, this might be a cause for his sleepwalking. Which meant that there was not a whole lot he could do about the sleepwalking, except getting the negotiations on the way.

Again, a grinning Tyson appeared in front of his inner eye. Argh, not again! He didn't have for this. He needed to do something about the Hiwatari Enterprise-thing first. Kai shook his head. All this thinking made him crazy. He had to clear his head. A healthy work-out was what he needed now!

Kai quickly changed into running shoes and started to run down the street, away from the beach, because he didn't want to take the chance of running into Tala again. He wasn't in the mood.

After a nice long run, Kai went upstairs do some muscle building exercises. Just because the Championships were months away didn't mean he had to slack off. Also, there was something meditative about lifting weights… though some might disagree. Once more Tyson's face appeared. Oh no! No, no, no! Get out of my head Tyson, his inner voice yelled. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a couple of deep breaths. There, he was in charge of his own mind again. Content, Kai dropped his sweaty shirt on the floor and picked up his weights.

He'd only gotten halfway through his workout when he heard a knock on the door. Seconds later Ray peeked in.

"You got a minute?"

Before Kai had the chance to answer, he said, "Thanks man."

Helplessly Kai watched Ray slip in, close the door behind him and flop down on his bed. Then his Asian friend grabbed some of the pillows and started to pile them behind him. Finally he leaned back and sighed, apparently happy with the outcome of his rearrangements.

"Make yourself comfortable," Kai murmured.

Ray ignored his comment and cut right to the point, "You know, something's been bothering me and I thought before I start to sleepwalk as well I should maybe talk about it."

Kai realized there was no chance he'd get to continue with his workout now. Ray had this look on his face that he always got when he was determined to see something through.

"I'm flattered you chose me to confide in," Kai said as he put away his weights.

"You're welcome."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I'm aware."

"Hn. Fine. Spit it out."

"I don't know what I want to do with my life."

"You're not suicidal, are you?"

"Oh come on," Ray rolled his eyes, "Of course not! I just don't have a plan for the time after blading. It used to be blading and school. Now I graduated and it's months until the next Championships start. I need something to do, but I'm having trouble deciding. Kai, I'm somewhat lost."

Well that explained the excessive cooking action. Ray had just needed something to keep busy while he figured out the next step. In a way Ray was in the same situation as Kai himself was.

"So I'm your career coach?"

"Kind of, yeah."

"Hn."

Kai leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment.

"Well, you should do something you like. You like Beyblading and cooking and stuff. Do something with that."

"That's a very simple way of looking at things. And I wasted days surfing various universities' websites and all kinds of educational guides."

"You're welcome."

Ray frowned at him.

"There's only this problem: I can't keep blading forever. There's gonna be younger Bladers, better Bladers… So that's out. And the cooking… I mean, I like it, but am I good enough to make it a profession?"

"Come on Ray, you're smarter than this! You don't have to be an active Beyblader. You could train, coach, whatever. You've put up with Max and Tyson long enough to prove you can do that. Also, everyone who's tried you food has liked it, right? What makes you think it isn't good enough? Take classes, teach classes, open a restaurant … the possibilities are endless."

"Wow Kai, I don't think I've ever heard you talk this much."

"Very funny, Kon."

"Seriously, thank you. I think you gave me some direction."

"It's quite simple, really."

"Yeah, but sometimes you're not able to see the simple solutions yourself, however obvious they may be. Which brings me to another topic: Why don't you tell me what's really going on with Voltaire?"

Kai looked at Ray. This guy wasn't going to give up, was he? Like, ever. Secretly Kai liked that about Ray. Maybe he should confide in Ray. Who knew, it might help with his sleepwalking after all.

"Fine. But Ray, this has to stay secret and can never be mentioned out loud, do you understand?"

Ray nodded eagerly.

"Cross my heart," he said.

Kai got up and walked over to Ray. Just as he bent down to whisper into Ray's ear that he was actually thinking of becoming CEO of Hiwatari Enterprise, the door flew open.

Kai spun around on his heel and glared at the person standing in the doorway. It was Tyson, of course, and he seemed to be frozen in place.

"Tyson, when will you learn to knock? It's fairly easy, really."

"Err, I, um," Tyson stuttered, his eyes open wide, "I, err, I'm sorry, you're busy, um, I'll come back later."

Then he turned around and fled from the room.

Kai sighed. Had he overreacted? Maybe he shouldn't have snapped at Tyson the way he had. He seemed to have been … hurt?

"Hurry and tell me before he bursts through that door again."

Kai leaned over and whispered, "I want to run Hiwatari Enterprise."

Ray's eyes went wide. "No shit."

"Shut up," Kai said in a low voice, "I'm trying to figure out if he's serious, because it's all or nothing for me. But he can't know that I actually want it, you know? So keep your voice down, in case my room is bugged."

Ray rolled his eyes.

"You have very disturbed family relations, my friend."

He got to his feet.

"Well, thanks Kai, for helping me and for trusting me. I suggest you go find Tyson now. He seemed to have misunderstood things," Ray winked and left.

Misunderstood things? What was Ray talking about? He had been pretty straight forward, hadn't he? And Tyson had repeatedly burst into his room without knocking so he'd know what Kai was getting at? Unless… oh. _That_? Did Ray mean Tyson had misunderstood him leaning down to whisper in Ray's ear? Kai looked down on himself, shirtless and sweaty, and then at the bed, a messy bunch of pillows thanks to Ray's rearrangements. Oh please. Lately everyone seemed to assume he was gay. He wondered why? And why now? This matter seemed to come up constantly since Tala had spoken of it! Damn Tala! Well, at least this was something he could expect from the redhead. What was curious was that Tyson might have jumped to this conclusion… It always seemed like he cared about nothing but beyblading, and least of all about dating (or school?). Maybe Kai had been wrong about that. Tyson was a teenage boy after all, just like him. Why would Tyson care though? Oh, he was probably weirded out a bit by the thought of his two friends fooling around.

Kai ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. He was thinking about the strangest things lately.

Somehow he felt the need to tell Tyson that he'd completely misunderstood and that he hadn't interrupted a make-out session between Ray and him. And why was that? Was it because he didn't like false rumors about himself? Or was it maybe that he …

Oh for heaven's sake, here was Tyson thinking he was getting it on with another guy and his only concern was straightening things up with Tyson, for whatever reason! Not even a thought about this misinterpretation being ridiculous because they were both _guys_?

Well, fuck. He should rethink his sexual orientation after all.

Well, fuck again. He might just be gay.

And at that point Kai walked over to his armchair by the window, picked up the bottle of vodka that was hidden behind it and put the bottle to his mouth.

* * *

Tyson was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Only hours ago he'd been so sure he had a chance at winning Kai's heart. Now he felt like Kai had never been more out of reach, because apparently Ray had snatched him away under Tyson's nose. When did that happen? Tyson hadn't noticed any changes in their behavior. So maybe nothing had happened and he'd jumped to conclusion? Oh, but what else could they've been doing except for kissing?

Before his inner eye Tyson replayed once more the scene he'd just witnessed: Ray, lying in between the pillows on Kai's bed, his cat like eyes focused on Kai, who'd leaned over him, half-naked.

Oh noooo!

This wasn't fair. Just when he thought he'd had him. And now Ray of all people…

Oh, so that at least meant Kai was gay. That at least was good news.

Argh, rats. What was he supposed to do now? They were both his friends and he wished them happiness with all his heart. Just why did they have to find it in each other? Why couldn't Ray marry Mariah, have lots of little cat-eyed babies and leave Kai for him?

Haaa, life sucked. _Love_ sucked.

* * *

After the vodka - just a sip, really, he wasn't into drinking during the day - had helped him recover from the shock Kai was now sitting on his window seat, thinking. Maybe he was gay, maybe he wasn't and maybe he was a bit of both. Being the rational thinker he was Kai decided he'd just have to wait and see. There was no use stressing about something that he wasn't even sure of. Especially as it was something he couldn't do anything about anyways.

As for the Tyson-matter… well, pretty much the same: things would sort themselves out eventually and when they did there was still plenty of time to freak out. Last night the thought had crossed his mind if he found Tyson attractive. Well regarding the fact that his only concern was to tell Tyson nothing had happened between Ray and him, it was possible. Possible, but not certain and therefore too soon to stress about.

Kai nodded to himself. Yes. That was how Kai Hiwatari addressed problems: quick, calm and rational.

Still, he should probably go talk to Tyson before he did anything else, to have this matter cleared up. Well, after he'd taken a shower maybe…

Said and done. Once he was dried off and dressed, Kai made his way to Tyson's room and firmly knocked on the door.

"Tyson, are you in there?"

"No," Tyson muffled voice said.

Kai rolled his eyes. Still a kid after all…

"I'm coming in anyways," he said and went in.

Tyson was sitting on his bed, holding a pillow pressed against his chest. Kai raised a brow.

"What are you doing cuddling your pillow?"

"What are you doing fooling around with Ray without telling us?"

Oh, so Ray had been right and Tyson had really jumped to conclusions. Kai wouldn't have expected Tyson to get so worked up about this. Somehow it stung to see Tyson this way…

"I'm not 'fooling around' with anyone, you idiot."

Tyson looked at him with big eyes.

"You're not?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but no."

He watched the information sink in and a smile work its way onto Tyson's face. He really had a nice smile. It was good to see him smile again.

"Oh that is so great!" Tyson exclaimed. Then he blushed and added, "Err, I mean, that you didn't… err… start dating without telling us, um, because you don't trust us or, err… you know."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know I had to introduce you to whoever I'm dating, _Mom_ ," Kai said and rolled his eyes.

"Wait, so you're seeing someone else?" Tyson asked, his smile somewhat frozen.

Kai wrenched the pillow from Tyson's grip and used it to hit Tyson over the head.

"I am not, you curious brat."

Tyson mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Tyson said and stuck his tongue out at Kai.

Kai shook his head and turned to leave.

"Hey Kai," Tyson called.

"Hn?"

"Let's go to the mall."

"No."

"You promised."

"I did not."

"Yeah you did. Yesterday you said we'd go some other time."

"First, that's not a promise, and second, by some other time I meant a very, _very_ distant future."

"Well, I think you owe me for giving me such a scare."

"You were the one who jumped to conclusions."

"Anyone would have if they saw what I saw."

"I was going to tell Ray something."

"He was in your bed and you were half-naked. Why is it that you are always half-naked?"

"I was working out, obviously, and if you didn't always barge in my room unannounced I would actually have a chance to put on a shirt. Why would care anyways?"

"I don't, I'm just saying. So, are we going to the mall?"

"If that'll get you to shut up."

Damn, Tyson had talked him into something _again_! Kai was hoping this trip wouldn't as disastrous as the last…

* * *

 **A/N:** Uh-oh, disaster's in the air! ;) Drop me a review and let me know what you thought of this? :))

Have a good one,

NoEarlyBird :)


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is getting old... I don't anything but the plot.

 **A/N:** Hello everyone,

sorry for the delay - this bird was on a little vaca and updating this on my phone would have been such a pain so... apologies ;D

A huge thank you to Sensless, kyuubi, Little A Granger, Yueliang-Licht89 and Hvalyf for reviewing - reading your comments I was over the moon! I hope you enjoy this chapter :))

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 10

* * *

Sooner than Kai would have liked he found himself back at the mall. He retrieved Tala's sunglasses from the glove compartment and put them on. Maybe he should buy a pair of his own, since he was here… Kai took a deep breath and got out of the car. Tyson was already eagerly awaiting him. For some reason he was extremely excited.

"C'mon, slowpoke, let's go!" Tyson said and grinned.

Kai rolled his eyes. How could one be so over-joyed about something as profane as a trip to mall? He followed Tyson at a safe distance. The other happily bounced from shop window to shop window, apparently not being able to decide where to go first.

"Kaaaaiiii," he then yelled. "Kai, let's go in here first."

Kai quickly scanned the surrounding area and relaxed when no one seemed to pay much attention to them. That had been a close call.

"Call a little louder next time," he snarled at Tyson. "The old man on the third floor didn't quite understand you."

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Tyson pouted. Then he smiled cheekily and said, "Oh I see, you don't wanna be recognized. That's what the sunglasses are for, am I right? You know, they kinda make you look like a movie star, so they might just draw more attention to you."

There were two things that left Kai speechless for a moment: not only had Tyson hit the nail on the head, but also… Tyson Granger was standing in front of a bookshop! Kai had never seen the boy touch anything other than the TV magazine and his comic books. Wonders never ceased.

"Hn. You keeping it down would probably do the trick. So if you don't mind…"

"Yeah, whatever! Let's go in here. Ray asked me to bring back these books for him."

Kai watched Tyson waved around a little piece of paper which he guessed to be Ray's shopping list. Okay, so Tyson didn't want to buy a book for himself. Kai's world was back in balance.

As he entered the bookshop he felt himself relax a little. He had always liked the atmosphere of these stores and the smell of freshly printed books, just waiting to be opened and read.

"Um, so let's see. Wow, err, where-…"

Kai snatched the piece of paper from Tyson's fingers and crimson eyes scanned the titles. Ray wanted about every book that had ever been printed about cooking and catering. He smirked. It seemed he'd given helpful advice earlier.

"This way," he told Tyson and went ahead.

Soon he had gathered every book on Ray's list. He dropped the pile of books into Tyson's arms and walked on to the next section. Since he was here, he might as well get some new books for his own collection.

When they left the store half an hour later, Kai thought that it was the most stupid idea to start a shopping tour at a bookshop. That way, one had to carry the heavy load the whole way… Oh well, an opportunity to finish his weight-lifting workout from earlier.

He held out his hand to Tyson, who was carrying Ray's books.

"Let me take that."

Tyson gave him a surprised look.

Then he smiled, "I don't know what to make of this Kai! Either you're being very sweet or you think I am too weak to carry them myself."

"Forget what I just said," Kai said and quickened his pace.

Insufferable brat!

"Nooo, wait, no, Kaaaaaiiiii," Tyson called after him.

And there he was, yelling across the mall again… This time people turned around to look at them. Kai saw some of them start to whisper at each other. Oh, just perfect.

Without another word he took the bag from Tyson's arms.

"Where else do you want to go Tyson? And pick something quickly; I think we've been spotted."

"You are _so_ strange," Tyson said and shook his head. "They're just fans, you know."

"They're annoying, so let's go."

Tyson huffed. "Okay, then how about the Bey shop over there? I want to look at the new parts."

"Are you mad? They will most definitely recognize us there."

"Weird, you're so weird! Fine! I need some movies too. Max and I have watched most of our DVDs."

Kai nodded.

"Alright, lead the way."

Before they could even move, a shy voice asked, "Um, Tyson, do you think we could take a photo with you?"

Two girls had walked up to them, one of them clutching her smartphone. Tyson sheepishly grinned at Kai and scratched his head.

"Whoops, too late."

Kai rolled his eyes. Why did he agree to take this guy to the mall again? Just as Kai thought about leaving Tyson and making a beeline for it, he noticed they'd already been surrounded by a quickly growing group of people.

"God dammit, Tyson!"

"Haha, sorry Kai. Just go with it," Tyson said.

Then Kai watched Tyson turn to his fans with that big smile of his. He shook hands, took selfies with them and even gave autographs. That was just Tyson. He was ever so friendly and he loved the attention. He always had.

When he felt a tugging on his pants Kai looked down in surprise and saw a little boy, not even half his size, stare up at him.

"Are you Kai?"

Kai had to admit, the kid had guts. Most young children didn't dare go near him, let alone speak to him.

"Yes I am."

"Wooow! I saw you on TV. Mommy said I couldn't go to the game, because I'm too small, but I'm not, I'm already five and three quarters!"

Kai didn't really know what to say. He wasn't good at small talking in general, let alone small talking to a kid. Luckily, the boy wasn't waiting for him to reply.

"Kai, when I grow up I wanna be a Blader just like you."

"Well, I'm sure you will be if you work hard," he said.

Suddenly the happiness seemed to fade from the boy's face. Oh good lord, he'd made a kid cry. In front of all those people, too!

"I'm trying, but my Beyblade doesn't wanna spin," the boy mumbled.

Kai, resigning himself to his fate, stretched out his hand and said, "Let me see."

* * *

In between taking photos and shaking hands, Tyson glanced over at Kai to see how he was holding up. He was beyond surprised when he saw Kai kneeling beside a little boy, apparently checking the kid's Beyblade. What happened next he wouldn't have guessed in a million years! Kai pulled Dranzer from his pocket, took off its new attack ring and put it into the little boy's Beyblade. The kid's smile could have lit up a small town. Tyson watch him throw his arms around Kai's neck and then run off to his mother, waving his Beyblade around.

If Tyson hadn't been in love with Kai already, he would have been now. That had been adorable, yet a classic Kai: not losing many words, but getting the job done. In this case making the little boy's day… or year. Just when he was about to melt, a couple boys approached him asking for his autograph. Tyson smiled at them and after exchanging a couple words he signed his name on their shirts.

Then he glimpsed over to Kai again, only to see him completely surrounded by a group of fans. It seemed like they'd lost the fear of approaching Kai after watching him with the kid. Tyson grinned. Kai's cold bad-boy-image had been seriously damaged right there. He snickered when an elderly lady asked him to sign something for her grandson. Kai shot him a glare that made Tyson stop laughing immediately. Boy, Kai's ears must almost be as sharp as Ray's.

* * *

After what seemed like eternity to Kai they finally managed to escape the masses. After a quick stop at the media store, where Tyson bought some new movies, they inevitably ended up in the food court. Tyson was hungry and according to him, they had great hot dogs there – maybe the best in town. Just as Tyson ran off to grab a hotdog, Kai's phone started to ring. Taking one look at the caller ID he rolled his eyes, but decided to pick up anyways. It was either this or twenty brainless messages on his phone. Taking the call seemed to be the lesser of two evils.

"Boy, do those sunglasses look good on you. You should keep them."

"Are you stalking me, Tala?"

"Not in the traditional way, no! It's just you and little Tyson made the front page of, um, _every_ tabloid magazine."

"Of course you would know that."

"I have a smartphone, okay? I get push notifications. So, how's your date going?"

"I'm hanging up now."

"Is it your first date? Are you nervous? Did you kiss?"

And Kai hung up.

"Who was that?" Tyson asked as came back with a hotdog in his hand.

"The red plague. You sure are quick."

Tyson shrugged.

"Tala? What did he want?"

Kai's eyebrow twitched.

"Never mind that," he growled. "Come on let's go home."

* * *

They had barely sat one foot into the house when Max and Ray came running.

"Heeey Kaaii," they said and grinned.

"Did you smoke something funny?" Kai asked dryly.

They exchanged looks and burst out laughing. Then Max held out his smartphone to Kai.

"Kai, you'll have to work hard to keep up your sourpuss-image after _this_ hit the news!" Ray grinned.

Tyson peeked over Kai's shoulder. On the screen was a photo of the little boy hugging Kai.

"Aw, that's so cute," he said before he could stop himself.

Whoops. He didn't need to lift his head to know Kai was glaring at him.

"Err, I'm sure it'll be forgotten in the blink of an eye," Tyson tried to make it better. "And who's reading tabloids anyways? Most likely nobody's going to see it."

"Yeah, right," Kai snorted.

He pushed past Max and Ray and disappeared upstairs.

Tyson sighed. And there he was again, the sourpuss. Well, it was his own fault for yelling across the mall at the top of his lungs and drawing all the attention on them. If he'd kept quiet like Kai had asked him to, none of this would have happened and they would have spent a lovely afternoon shopping. So there, well done, Tyson! Hopefully he'd get another chance to go there with Kai. Probably in the very, _very_ distant future though, as Kai would put it.

"Oh," he said, remembering something. "Ray! We got your books. Are you starting a library?"

Ray grinned.

"Nah, just trying to figure out what I wanna do with my life. Kai gave me the idea to consider making cooking a career earlier."

Oh, so that's why Ray had been in Kai's room.

"Oh that would be really great Ray," Max said and clapped his hands. "I love your cooking. If you had a restaurant I'd be a regular there."

As if by command Tyson's stomach started to rumble loudly. A hotdog just wasn't very filling…

Ray chuckled.

"How about dinner, you guys?"

Tyson nodded enthusiastically.

"Heck yeah! Should I get Kai?"

"Nah, he's a big boy; he can get some food on his own later, when he's calmed down."

* * *

 **A/N:** So that's it for today. Did you like it? :)  
Next chapter will be sleepwalking at its finest and lots and lots of TyKa moments. I'm so excited to that already!

Well take care guys,

NoEarlyBird :)


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Beyblade.

 **A/N:** Hi guys! :)

Look who's back with an on-time update! I'm so excited about this chapter - I had this chapter drafted weeks ago and I had to wait until now to put it in the story. It almost killed me haha I hope you'll enjoy it.

As always, I'd like to say thank you, thank you, thank you for your favs, follows and reviews: andzia16118, Yueliang-Licht89, Sensless, IcePhoniex, kyuubi (kyuubi, I had to laugh so much at your comment. after you read this you'll know why xD) and Little A Granger - you guys are amazing and I cannot thank you enough! :)

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 11

* * *

This night Tyson didn't sleep well. Ray had outdone himself once again with dinner and he hadn't been able to stop eating. As a result, he tossed in turned in his bed, unable to find a comfortable position with his stomach as full as it was. Once he found a somewhat good position he'd drift off into a light sleep, only to wake again and have the whole thing repeat itself.

The next time Tyson woke he had the strange feeling of being watched. His hazel eyes flew open.

"Aaaaargh!"

The yell was out before Tyson could stop it. He'd opened his eyes, only to stare straight into a pair of crimson ones. When he noticed the color he relaxed instantly. Crimson wasn't a very common eye‑color. It could only be Kai! Wait. Only Kai… in… his… _bed_ …?! Why was Kai in his bed? Oh god, oh god, oh… Oh, right, the sleepwalking thing. Dammit, Ray had told him not to wake Kai when he was sleeping and what did he do? Yell at the top of his lungs… Maybe… No, Kai was awake. There was enough light in the room for Tyson to see Kai's crimson eyes darting around while he was trying to orient himself. Then it seemed to dawn on him that he'd sleepwalked again.

"Jeez, Kai, you almost gave me heart attack!" Tyson panted.

"Likewise!" Kai growled.

"You're in _my_ bed."

"Didn't choose to!"

For a second they glared at each other. Then they heard quick footsteps in the hallway and froze.

"Tyson, are you okay? I heard you scream!" Max's muffled voice came through the door.

Tyson felt Kai tense and saw how his crimson eyes opened wide. He seemed to be terrified at the thought of Max seeing him here in Tyson's bed. That stung a little, but Tyson could somehow understand this. If Maxi knew, Ray would find out eventually and then he'd keep nagging Kai to do something about his sleepwalking. Also, Kai would be endlessly teased about crawling into Tyson's bed.

"I'm fine, Maxi!" he called out as he threw his blanket over Kai in case Max would open the door. "Just this big-ass grass hopper who jumped on my face."

"Ewww, gross. Do you need help?"

"Nope, already got the sucker. Sorry for waking you, Max."

"No biggie! Good night Tyson."

"You too."

Tyson waited for the sound of Max's door closing before he pulled the blanket back to reveal Kai.

"You owe me," he whispered.

"Anything as long as Ray remains oblivious."

Tyson grinned.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure, Kai?"

Was he imagining it or was Kai blushing? No, he wasn't! It was dark in his room, but not dark enough to hide the fact that Kai's cheeks had darkened considerably.

Tyson couldn't help but wonder... Kai had sleepwalked… and sleepwalking had to do with the sub consciousness, right? Did this mean Kai subconsciously wanted to be close to him? Because he liked him? He felt his heartbeat accelerate. The thought of Kai maybe liking him and the fact that Kai was still lying next to him in his bed made his head swim.

Then Kai sat up. He was probably going back to his room. Tyson didn't want him to leave though. Not only because he wanted to enjoy this moment a little longer, but also because he felt this was a good opportunity to ask Kai about the reason for his sleepwalking. Because, knowing Kai, he'd have figured that out by now. Tyson quickly reached out, just in time to catch the hem of Kai's shirt. Lucky for him, Kai had sleepwalked while he was fully dressed for once. Things could have gotten very awkward and highly embarrassing otherwise…

"Kai, wait," Tyson said in a low voice.

Kai stopped mid-motion and gave him a puzzled look.

"Kai… what's going on? Please I… I wanna help you."

He watched how Kai ran his fingers through his hair, debating whether or not to tell him. Then, to Tyson's surprise, Kai flopped back down and murmured, "Fine."

"Really?" Tyson called out over-joyed.

"Sh, you're going to wake up Max again."

"And whose fault was that in the first place," Tyson said and rolled his eyes.

Kai turned his head so Tyson could see him raise a brow, then looked back up at the ceiling.

"Err, I'm all ears."

First, Kai didn't say anything. Had he changed his mind? Or was he just searching for the right words? Kai did look very thoughtful… That wasn't unusual for him though… Then, when Tyson had almost given up hope and his thoughts were just about to drift off again, Kai spoke.

"You remember how Ray asked if Voltaire was scheming against me?"

Tyson quickly nodded.

"It's kind of the other way around."

"You have seriously messed up family relations."

"You're one to talk."

"Hey, I don't have-…" Tyson paused for a second. He'd wanted to object, but … there was Gramps, whom he loved dearly, but who was clearly a nut. Then there was Hiro, who kept on suddenly disappearing and had a tendency of stabbing him in the back, and last but not least his father, who rather dug in the dirt on the other side of the planet than be home with him. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. "Never mind. Do continue."

He watched the corner of Kai's mouth twitch. Why was it that Kai always tried to hide a smile? He had such a nice smile! Tyson had seen it. Once, no, twice…? He decided to make this his next mission: make Kai smile more. But first things first!

"You might know my family is running a business in the arms trade-…"

"More like running the arms trade."

"Will you stop interrupting me?"

"Sorry. Go on."

"I want to run that company."

"Huh? You _what?_!"

Tyson propped himself up on his elbow and his eyes met Kai's. Kai was completely serious.

"Are you saying Max was right and you're quitting blading?"

"Of course that would be your first thought. I'm not. I'll figure out a way to do both when the time comes."

"So… is this causing your sleepwalking? But… why?"

"I want this business, but I don't plan to run it like my grandfather does, with all his shady deals. I want to turn this business around and restore our family name! I need to hold full power to do this, so Voltaire has to go. And this is where it gets tricky, because that old man loves his power."

"So you try to coax him into giving it up, I get it. Is that what you've been writing to him about?"

"More or less, yes! I wanted to see how serious he was about wanting me as his successor."

"And what's got a car to do with all of that?"

Kai smirked.

"I told him I couldn't make the meeting because with public transportation it would take forever to get there."

This explained Kai's reaction to the car. He'd seen it as a symbol of his victory. Now it made sense… well, kind of.

"He must be very serious if he gave you a freakin' sports car, don't you think? After all, you could have just taken a cab! I mean, a car like this would be ridiculous even for a birthday present, but this is crazy! Seriously, just how much money does your family have? Wait, no, don't tell me. I don't wanna know."

Tyson flopped back down.

"Hey Kai?"

"Hn."

"Thanks for telling me."

"Hn. Just keep it to yourself."

"I'll take it to the grave."

Tyson turned his head to look at Kai.

"So… how can I help?"

"I think this is something I have to do myself."

Tyson nodded. Unfortunately, this really seemed like something only Kai could do. He just hoped Kai would figure something out quickly. His sleepwalking seemed to occur more often now and Tyson was worried that sooner or later Kai would get seriously injured.

Not that he'd mind Kai sleepwalking into his bed again. Though it was almost impossible to resist the urge to curl up against Kai and rest his head against Kai's shoulder. Every fiber of his body longed to feel the other one's body close to his again.

Tyson bit his lower lip. Should he…?

"Sorry to keep you up," Kai then said. "I'll let you go back to sleep now."

Tyson silently cursed himself for hesitating. Maybe, just maybe, Kai would have stayed if he'd only acted faster. Now there was no way he could keep him from leaving. What reason could he possibly have to ask him to stay?

…The sleepwalking!

Kai was about to leave when Tyson snatched his hand. Crimson eyes widened in surprise.

"Err…"

Tyson felt himself blush heavily. Damn it, he hadn't meant to grab Kai's hand. He quickly let go, but not without noticing that Kai's hands were softer than he'd expected. He must be secretly using lotion. No one who pulled that many ripcords could have hands like this otherwise.

Argh, Tyson, focus!

"Err… a-are you going to be okay? With the sleepwalking, I mean?"

"Um, yeah…I think so. Err… goodnight Tyson."

And just like that Kai was gone.

* * *

Kai shut his door behind him and leaned against the cool wood. His hand came up to feel his racing heartbeat. He looked at his hand where he could still feel the touch of Tyson's fingers… The image of Tyson, lying beside him on the bed, illuminated only by moonlight, appeared in front of his inner eye. Kai felt his heart beat – if possible – even faster and his cheeks heat up. What the…?

Accelerated heartbeat, blushing, stuttering, Kai analyzed, and only when _he_ was around. Kai silently congratulated himself on his ability not to see the obvious.

There was only one logical explanation for all this. One that Tala had practically thrown in his face (repeatedly) and that Kai had still not considered possible or maybe deep down not wanted to consider… until now. It was too obvious to ignore it any longer, even for someone as talented at denial as he was.

He was gay. Proven beyond a reasonable doubt!

And there was more. The thought had crossed his mind that he might find Tyson attractive. Now Kai realized he didn't just find Tyson attractive, no, he actually liked Tyson! Like, really _liked_ him!

Yes, it made so much sense. His heart racing when Tyson came too close, the fact that Tyson had been so good at wrapping him around his little finger lately… Heck, even sleepwalking into Tyson's _bed_ of all places seemed logical at once.

Oh no. Oh, he was in trouble. Big, big trouble! Huge!

Not only was he apparently into men, but into _Tyson_ of all people. How could he have fallen for this loud, obnoxious boy who never seemed to stop eating?

Kai sighed. And of course it had to be now, when he should really focus on snatching the CEO's chair from underneath his grandfather's ass… Perfect, just perfect!

Kai quickly marched over to his window and pushed it wide open. He leaned out at bit and breathed in the cool, fresh air.

He was in love with Tyson Granger.

Wow. This was quite something to digest.

Kai somehow knew he was right about his feeling. Some things one just knew. This was one of these things. What Kai didn't know was what to do next…

For a second he considered calling Tala about this, but then again, he'd rather swallow his own tongue than admit to that red-headed plague that Kai Hiwatari didn't have a plan. Oh hell no! Also, who knew what crazy things Tala would come up with? No, he'd wait until he figured something out on his own. There was no need to rush things. He'd let the information sink in for a couple of days, while he tended to more pressing matters, and then he'd figure out what he wanted in regards to Tyson.

Yes, Kai nodded to himself, this was the Kai way of doing things. Calm. Rational. Efficient.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, what do you know? The penny has finally dropped for Mr. Hiwatari! Isn't this exciting?

Guys, I hope you had as much fun with this as I had. Take care!

NoEarlyBird :)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.

 **A/N:** Hello to all you lovely people who are still reading this! Thank you guys so much and a big fat thank you to the amazing kyuubi, Ice Phoniex, kaidatinuchan and Little A Granger for sharing their thoughts about this piece! :))

Enjoy~

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

 **Chapter 12**

* * *

This morning Tyson got to experience something completely new: once the alarm clock went off he was actually wide awake. It was a miracle! Hard to believe some people woke up like this every morning. Also, somewhat unfair… He jumped out of bed and rushed into the bath, where he quickly went through his morning routine. Then he hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. When he saw the coffee machine had already been switched on and Kai's mug was empty in the sink it put a real damper on his high spirits. Argh maaan, he had so hoped to catch Kai before he headed out.

Last night it had taken him a while to fall back asleep. This was partly because this time he'd really eaten more than he could handle (contrary to the public opinion something like this _did_ happen) and mainly because of Kai. Like that was a surprise. After re-thinking Kai's latest sleepwalking action Tyson had felt his chances at winning Kai's heart had never been better. Why would Kai sleepwalk to his bed if not because he liked him? Also, he'd stayed and actually shared one of his most secret wishes, if not the most secret! Oh yes, Tyson was still in the game! Very much so!

And now Kai had already gone out. What a bummer! It seemed mission win Kai's heart had to wait until after school.

* * *

Kai ran and ran and only when he felt the pavement under his feet change to sand he stopped to catch his breath. He let his eyes wander over the still deserted beach out onto the wide ocean. At the peaceful sight he felt himself relax at once. Yes, coming here before his meeting with Voltaire had been the perfect choice.

Ever since he sleepwalked into Tyson's bed last night he hadn't been himself. After realizing his feelings for Tyson he'd spent an eternity pacing his room, and even more time tossing and turning in his bed. Finally he'd surrendered. He'd gotten up, put on his running clothes and started to run towards the beach as fast as his feet would carry him (which was, without bragging, pretty fast indeed).

So now here he was. As he calmed down Kai felt his ability to block out any distraction and focus on what was important return. Not that Tyson wasn't important - quite the contrary! It was just that his meeting was a tad more important at this very moment. Tonight, hopefully everything would be settled with Voltaire and then he could go back to acting like some sad cliché of a love-sick teenager… But not now! Not when there was that much at stake. Focus Kai, he ordered himself. Kai took a deep breath and continued his run at a slower pace. As he jogged down the beach he started to go over his game plan. Today was most likely the day that would decide the outcome of his little game. Kai knew he'd have to be at full alert; one wrong word, one wrong facial expression could give away how badly he wanted this. And what reason would Voltaire have to hurry and step aside if he knew? He could just take his time and toy with Kai, because he knew Kai would grit his teeth and suck it up in order to one day get the company. No, Kai needed make Voltaire believe he didn't care for the company, that he was really doing Voltaire a favor, actually no, he was just doing it for the Hiwatari family. Yes. Voltaire cared greatly about keeping the business in the family, for it meant securing the great power and influence the Hiwatari family had held for generations. Kai would have to play that card. Know your opponent and use his weakness to your advantage!

* * *

Tyson frowned. They were still a good hundred meters away from their house, but he could already see that Kai's car wasn't parked in the driveway. He'd so hoped that Kai would be back by now. His meeting with Voltaire sure was long…

"...son. Tyson!"

"Huh?"

"Dude, you totally zoned out. Oh... Have you been thinking about that transfer-girl in class A?" Max asked, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Why would I do that?"

"Why?" Max echoed in disbelief. "Haven't you seen her-..."

"Abs?" Tyson suggested and playfully stuck his tongue out at Max.

Max grinned, "Actually, I was gonna say boobs."

"Maxi!" Tyson called and nudged his impossible blonde friend.

"Gee, Tyson! I'm a teenage boy! I have needs!" Max replied and laughed.

Tyson chuckled. It wasn't like he couldn't relate... If only Max knew what was going on inside Tyson's head for a good three quarters of the day... No, it was better he didn't. If Max knew, he'd never hear the end of it!

Tyson let them into the house and as he kicked off his shoes he yelled, "Raaay, we're home! ...Ray?"

"He's probably still at the BBA," Max said. "I do wonder where Kai's off to though. He hasn't been around all day, has he?"

"At his grandfather's," Tyson replied.

"Oh great," Max sighed. "That means he's gonna be in one hell of a mood when he gets back." Then he shrugged and said, "Well, nothing we can do about it. Come on, let's tackle this homework. Heck, I might just be in a mood worse than Kai's after this."

Tyson highly doubted that. What Max called 'being in a bad mood' was normal behavior for Kai! He sighed. This day had started out so well, but only gone downhill since then. Not only hadn't he seen Kai this morning, he wasn't home now either, and to cap it all off he had to do math homework now. Great! If anything, it was him who was going to be in a mood worse than Kai's.

Tyson slowly dragged himself into the living room and dumped his bag on the table. With half an ear he listened to Max, who was back to talking about the transfer student and how hot she was and how he'd like to take her on a date.

"...son! Tyson!"

"Huh?"

"Seriously, what's with you today? Will you focus, this is really important."

"Err, sorry, what did you say?"

"Do you think she'll be impressed by my Blading skills?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Tyson said. He grinned when he added, "If not, the fact that they print your face on T-Shirts and postcards might help."

"Hey, all this merchandise will help me pay for tuition. Or a license! Aw, Tyson, we so have to get our licenses! I'm _dying_ to get behind the stirring wheel of a car like Kai's. …Do you think he'd let me drive his?"

"Well, if you get him drunk …maybe. But hey, if they put your face on some coffee mugs as well you might be able to afford a car like that one day," Tyson teased.

"When I'm forty or something," Max wailed.

Then he sat up straight and took out his books.

"Whatever. Come on, let's get this done."

Tyson sighed and followed his lead.

* * *

Just as Tyson finished with his last homework, he heard the front door open and close again. His mood brightened instantly. Kai! He could tell it was Kai by the fact that he hadn't said anything. Ray would always say hello and then stick his head into the living room to see what they were up to. Tyson quickly shut his books and started to put away his stuff. He wanted to talk to Kai before he appeared again to who-knew-where.

"Woah, Kai, what happened to you?"

Tyson, sitting with his back to the hallway, spun around to see what Max was talking about. He just hoped that Max hadn't referred to Kai looking a complete mess, because then his meeting with Voltaire wouldn't have gone well and Kai would be in one hell of a mood for _months_! And that would not only hurt Tyson to see, but it would also make mission win-Kai's-heart a lot more difficult.

What Tyson saw when he turned around made his jaws drop - literally! Kai most certainly did not look like a mess. In fact, it was quite the opposite: he looked ravishing! Kai was wearing a tightly fitted and probably ridiculously expensive dark suit over a white dress shirt. And he looked hot! Smoking hot! So hot Tyson had to double check he wasn't drooling. Which he wasn't, luckily!

God lord, this sight so made up for having to do math homework. Like, every math homework he had ever done and would ever do. Oh yes. He wondered if there was a subtle way to convince Kai to _always_ wear a suit. Nothing at all would be fine, too. Oh no, he couldn't think about stuff like that. This could easily result in a very awkward and highly embarrassing situation. Fortunately Max was still there and curious about Kai's outfit, which gave Tyson something else to focus on.

"Don't you think the suit might be a bit overboard if you're visiting your grandfather?" Max asked and scratched his head.

Kai rolled his eyes and started to loosen his tie. It was a dark burgundy red, which brought out the color of Kai's eyes even more. Tyson thought that he'd probably keep this image etched into his memory for as long as he lived, treasuring this moment.

"I wasn't wearing one when I got there, smartass," Kai said. "I had to put it on for a meeting with the board of directions this afternoon."

"Huh?" Max asked.

But Kai had already left.

"I'll be right back," Tyson, having finally found his tongue again, said to Max.

He hurried out the living room and caught up with Kai at the top of the stairs.

"Kai, wait," Tyson said. "Does this mean you got it?"

Kai turned around, his face unreadable as usual. Then he smirked and nodded.

"You did! Oh my god! You did!" Tyson cheered.

Before he could stop himself he'd taken two steps towards Kai and thrown his arms around him, pulling the surprised Kai in a close hug. For a moment Tyson panicked – what if Kai would push him away? Then he told himself that Kai hadn't the last time he'd hugged him and it was too late now anyways. Might as well enjoy it while it lasted! Tyson had been longing to be this close to Kai again, to feel Kai's body against his own. In his opinion, it was a perfect fit.

Tyson eyes grew wide when he felt Kai's arms wrap around him, returning the hug. Naturally, his heartbeat started to pick up speed and Tyson didn't need a mirror to know his cheeks had turned a dark red. Only a second later Kai's arms were gone and Kai took a step back. Tyson was surprised to see a little smile on his face and a strange glint in those crimson eyes he'd never seen before.

"Thanks," Kai said in a voice much softer than his usual tone.

Then he turned and walked into his room.

The door fell shut, and Tyson found himself alone in the hallway, with his heart threatening to jump out his chest any second, incredibly happy and at the same time utterly confused.

* * *

Kai threw himself down on his bed, the smile that had crept onto his face still lingering. It had been nice having Tyson in his arms, if only for a second. He hadn't dared returning the hug for longer than that. Guys didn't hug their friends longer than a second. And that was what he was to Tyson, wasn't it? A friend? Yes. He'd heard Tyson call him his friend a couple times.

Kai frowned.

So, was he stuck in the friend zone now? Did he even want anything else?

He took a moment to listen to his inner voice. For once, it was quite easy to tell what it was saying: yes, he wanted to be more than Tyson's friend. He wanted to be able to hold him in his arms whenever he felt like it, and for however long he wanted. Certainly longer than one bloody second! He wanted to feel the warmth of Tyson's body, be surrounded by his scent…

Kai moaned and covered his face with both his hands.

What was happening to him? Suddenly all his clear, rational thoughts had vanished, leaving nothing but corny fantasies behind. Tyson, Tyson, Tyson – it seemed there was no room left for any other thoughts. And that, while he had so many other things to think about! His meeting with Voltaire, for instance! Kai dropped his arms back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The meeting had gone well. More than well, actually! In the end, his grandfather and he had signed a contract, stating that Kai would go to business school for two years, than gain some work experience in the company for another year before he would be made new CEO of Hiwatari Enterprise. With full power! Kai smirked. Kai Hiwatari, CEO! …Yes, the family card had played out nicely. Things couldn't have turned out better. He was confident that he'd still be able to Beyblade while attending business school, so he wouldn't yet have to end his career. Two years would be plenty of time to prepare Tyson for the time after as well.

Oh great.

 _Tyson_ _again_!

Kai sighed and got up. It seemed now that he'd got ridden of one problem, there was another one waiting to take its place. An even bigger problem! Hell, he hadn't even been in a relationship with a girl before, so how was he supposed to go out with a guy? Did he even want a relationship or just…? This was beyond weird. Kai pushed the window opened and leaned out, slowly breathing in the fresh air. The days were starting to get colder, which helped greatly with the smog, so for once one could actually call it 'fresh' air.

Kai sighed again. This really was weird. A couple days ago the thought of dating Tyson Granger would never have crossed his mind. Kai ran his fingers through his hair. But was the thought really so strange? He liked Tyson. A lot! It felt good to have him close. So good, he wanted to walk out there right now and take that boy in his arms again and… Kai wondered what it would be like to kiss Tyson. Would it be any different from kissing a girl? Would his lips be as soft? Would it be a gentle kiss, barely more than a peck, or would it be passionate? And with all these things going through his mind, how could he even doubt for a second that he'd want to make Tyson Granger his?

A smirk worked its way onto Kai's face and his eyes began to sparkle. Oh yes, making Tyson his was exactly what he was going to do next.

* * *

 **A/N:** Apologies for the cheesy last line - it was impossible to resist! Guess who'll be back next chapter? Here's a hint: he's pain the the behind and he used to dress in orange even though it's not his color. ;D I figured Kai could use some help.

Please, let me know what you thought?

Have a lovely weekend everyone!  
NoEarlyBird :)


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: see previous chapters. No changes. You'd notice.

 **A/N:** Hellooo~

Wow, time flies, doesn't it? Another week over, another chapter written. Guys, it's breaking my heart, but we're getting awfully close to the end of this story... It's probably going to be 15 chapters total. ...How do you feel about a bonus chapter after that? :D (I'm kinda having a hard time letting this go haha)

Before we get started: It's thank-you-time! Thanks to FlamingIce94, IcePhoniex, kaidatinuchan, kyuubi, Little A Granger and Yueliang-Licht89 for supporting this fic. Knowing you like it makes me enjoy writing this story even more :)) Thanks!

Now, enjoy...!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 13

* * *

At the crack of dawn Kai was awake, feeling much less cocky than he had the night before.

He was sitting on the terrace in the backyard now, a frown on his face and a large cup of coffee in his hands. The fresh, cold air of the morning and the caffeine slowly brought his spirits to life. Along with his spirits his rational thinking returned. And the rational part of his brain told him this: So he had figured out his feelings for Tyson and knew what he wanted - great! That only left this minor little problem: _how_ to get what he wanted. Feelings and relationships weren't exactly Kai's area of expertise... He'd never bothered to go after someone before. He'd never cared enough. So this was new to him. What he needed was a game plan, because if there was one thing Kai hated, it was not having a strategy.

"Good morning, sunshine! Careful, that frown of yours might just cause the milk to go sour."

Kai looked sideways to see Ray stepping out onto the terrace, as always moving soundless like a cat. A couple times a week Ray would get up early to meditate outside by the pond before the noisier half of the household woke. Sometimes, like today, Kai would be there as well, waking up over a cup of coffee. Neither of them minded the other's company: Kai would silently keep getting the caffeine into his system while Ray would do his stretching exercises and then stand in the tree position for longer than any human should be able to. At some point, Kai would leave him be a tree and go start his own work-out.

Kai just nodded in Ray's general direction and hnd. This was as far as their conversations went this time of day. For a while Kai continued to sit there, slowly drinking his coffee. He kept staring at the pond with the little artificial waterfall that Ray had insisted on and tried to figure out how to solve this minor little problem of his. Was this even a problem he could solve with rational thinking? Kai had never been in love before, but people always said it was beyond rational. That it was all about listening to one's heart and trusting one's instincts. He didn't like that idea at all. Maybe there was a Hiwatari way of approaching love. A rational one! But if there was, wouldn't someone have figured it out by now? People had been writing about love for generations – if there was such a rational approach, surely someone would have written it down?! Unless this didn't sell well?! Oh for heaven's sake… he sucked at this. Kai frowned. He'd probably be sleepwalking until his dying day!

Okay, this was obviously not getting him anywhere. He needed to get on with his day. A light breakfast, a hard work-out and then he should look up a couple business schools in the area.

* * *

Kai did exactly as he'd planned. Sometime around noon he settled at his desk with a fresh cup of coffee and his notebook. He'd only been browsing for a couple minutes when the door flew open. Kai's eyebrow twitched dangerously. He just didn't learn. Why didn't he knock? What was so hard about raising your arm and tapping your knuckles against the wood? Wait no; it was way too early for Tyson to be barging into his room. Then who…?

"Well hello there, young Master Kai. I hope your day is going well?"

…Tala! Of course it was Tala! Kai slowly turned his chair around. He crossed his arms and stared at the redhaired intruder, brows raised.

"Tala. To what do I owe the… honor?"

"Aw, I missed you, too," Tala said and winked at him.

"I highly doubt that's the only reason you came by," Kai replied dryly, but couldn't suppress the little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Tala grinned.

"Sharp as always," he said. "Kai, it's time to pay up. I need your car, no questions asked."

 _"_ How long?"

 _"_ The weekend."

"It's Thursday, Tala."

"Whatever, just gimme those keys."

"On the sideboard in the hall."

"Thanks Kai, you're a true friend!"

"Hn. Just take it to the cleaners after you're done having sex in my car."

"It's scary how well you know me."

Tala smirked and turned to leave when something seemed to catch his eye. Kai watched a devilish smile spread across the redhead's face. Something dawned on him. Something dreadful! Kai followed Tala's gaze…and cursed himself. It was as he'd feared: attached to the foot of his bed were the handcuffs he'd bought the other day at the mall. After sleepwalking into Tyson's bed, Kai had fixed one side of the cuffs onto the foot of his bed last night and then had applied the other part to his ankle before going to sleep. He'd felt pathetic doing it, but it had worked and kept him in bed for once. Naturally Kai hadn't planned on keeping the cuffs attached to his bed for everyone to see - least of all Tala! With Tyson being the dominant (or rather only) thought in his head, it had somehow slipped is mind though. Well fuck.

Kai put his fingers against his temples and waited for the inevitable flood of teasing and bullshit that was bound to follow. He didn't have to wait long.

"Well, well, well," Tala purred and turned to look at Kai, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "Has the penny finally dropped? Along with your pants, I assume? How did Tyson like being cuffed to the bed by the way? I must say, I never had you down as the handcuff-type of guy, Kai."

Kai tapped a finger against his temple and looked at his red-haired friend, who was still grinning like a cat.

"You can't possibly be done already?"

"Oh believe me, I could go on and on about this, but I'm actually interested in what you have to say," Tala said and flopped down onto Kai's armchair.

"It's not what you think."

"That's what they all say," Tala winked.

"I'm sleepwalking."

"Well, that is interesting, really, but not as interesting as you banging the little world champ."

"I'm not… Tyson and I aren't… Ugh, for fuck's sake! I cuffed myself to the bed so I wouldn't wander about the house in my sleep, okay?" Kai finally managed to say.

Kai cursed himself for his sudden inability to speak. It had never happened to him – why did it have to happen now? To make it even worse, he felt his cheeks heat up quickly. He couldn't make it any more obvious now could he? Kai saw Tala thoughtfully muster him for a moment.

Then Tala said, "Okay, two things: one, since when are you sleepwalking and how come I don't know about it, and two …the penny really has dropped, hasn't it? You're blushing Kai! Blushing _and_ stuttering!"

Kai blew out some air. There was no way he could talk his way out of this now.

"Yeah … I guess it has," he admitted. Then, referring to what Tala had said about his pants, he quickly added, " _Only_ the penny though!"

Tala grinned and said, "Well duh, I could have told you months ago. As a matter of fact I did, but you were too stubborn to see it."

"How did you know?"

Tala shrugged.

"I just did. You talk about him more… and really, the fact that you moved in with him is proof enough, don't you think? Imagine me living with Tyson. No, even better: imagine him living with _Bryan_! The kid wouldn't last an hour."

Kai would rather not imagine the outcome of Bryan and Tyson sharing an apartment. It would be gruesome.

"But don't worry," Tala continued. "I don't think anyone else noticed."

"Hn."

"So... What are you gonna do now? Knowing you you're already working on a game plan."

"I am. It does need some improvements though."

"Meaning you got nothing yet. That's okay. Let me take care of this," Tala offered and started to rub his hands with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"Oh _hell no_!"

"The easiest way would be to cuff you to the bed - stark naked, obviously - and lock Tyson in this room with you. That should do the trick."

"And that is exactly why I didn't ask you for advice."

"Hey, if your body doesn't turn him, I don't know what will. Well, except my body of course."

"Are you hitting on me, Tala?"

"I'm about to go on a romantic holiday with Bryan, moron."

"Yes, please go. Take the car. And take your time - a month maybe, or a year. Just leave and let me do this on my own."

Tala flipped him off but chuckled as he got up.

"How very generous! Say, is your car automatic or gearshift?"

"Automatic."

"Oh good; increases the chances of me returning it to you in one piece dramatically," Tala casually said and disappeared into the hallway.

Kai didn't like the sound of this so he quickly followed Tala downstairs.

"Tala, hold on for a second!" he said, watching Tala pick up the keys through squinted eyes. "Do you even have a license? If I remember correctly you scared the last instructor shitless with your... let's call it _unique_ style of driving."

"Kai, Kai, Kai," Tala sighed and theatrically shook his head. "Isn't the only question of importance here if I can drive or not? And I can."

"So that's a no. Give me back those keys!"

He moved to snatch the keys from Tala, but the redhead was already out the door and running for the car.

"Thanks Kai!" he yelled back over his shoulder.

Kai rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. He watched Tala get in the car and start the engine. The window rolled down and Tala gave him a thumbs-up.

"Keep the road rage to a minimum, will you?" Kai called. "If the police comes knocking on my door, I'll swear you stole my car."

"Sounds fair. See you on Sunday!"

Then Tala put the car in reverse and pulled out of the driveway. At least he hadn't lied about his ability to drive...

"As if you'd to that," a voice behind him said, almost causing Kai to jump.

"Heavens, Ray, don't you ever sneak up on me like that again!"

Ray gave him a toothy smile.

"Sorry if I scared you. Let me make up for it by letting you try this curry I just created. In all modesty, I think will be the best damn thing you'll have ever tasted."

Kai smirked.

"Very modest of you indeed! In this case, how could I possibly refuse?"

* * *

After lunch, which was really had been delicious, Kai decided to go for a walk. He headed towards the beach - would be stupid not to take advantage of the fact that Tala was out of town, wouldn't it? And it was just a great place for Kai to let his thoughts wander. He'd almost reached the beach when his phone chimed repeatedly, announcing several new messages. Kai got out his phone and opened his messenger. It showed 14 new messages from Bryan. They'd only been gone for two hours - there couldn't possibly be a catastrophe already?! With furrowed brows he watched the messages appear. As far as he could tell this wasn't an emergency, but merely Bryan's idea of fun. Bryan had sent him a series of photos, showing Tala behind the stirring wheel. It was road rage at his finest, the pictures going from Tala yelling at top of his lungs to Tala flipping someone off.

Kai closed his eyes for a second before he typed a reply: _"Glad you're enjoying yourself. Tell Tala if he wants to live he better not use my car as a battering ram."_

Only seconds later he received a reply: _"And ruin the fun? Fuck no!"_

Kai let out a small growl. Then he muted his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. Breathe, Kai, he told himself, it's just a car. Then he continued his way to the beach.

* * *

Tyson couldn't wait to get home. They'd gotten a very tricky homework in math and maybe, just maybe, he could use this to spend some time with Kai this afternoon. Maxi was going to be at his Dad's for the afternoon, so he'd probably do his homework later tonight. There was his reason for having to ask Kai for help again. Tyson couldn't believe how excited he was about doing math homework...

He kicked off his shoes and ran straight upstairs. He was about to burst though Kai's door when he remember what that had gotten him into last time. Tyson knocked against the door, then opened it a couple moments later.

"Hey Kai, I've got a pr-..."

He looked around the room. No Kai here. Maybe he was downstairs? Tyson was about to close the door when something caught his eye. Were those... handcuffs?! His eyes grew wide. Why did Kai have handcuffs at the foot of his bed? It couldn't possibly be... for _that_? Tyson felt his cheeks flame at the thought of using those...for this... He never would have thought Kai was the handcuff type of guy.

No, Tyson told himself, he'd learned his lesson. He wouldn't jump to conclusions again. Maybe there was another explanation to this. He could just ask-... Heck no, he couldn't do that!

Tyson quickly shut the door behind him and went into his own room, telling himself over and over again he hadn't seen anything...

* * *

 **A/N:** That last scene with Tyson was inspired by IcePhoniex – thanks for the idea, dude! I plan to get back to this later on. ;)

Now, I realize this chapter was a bit low on TyKa-moments (what TyKa-moments?)… I'll make up for that next chapter hehe… be prepared! :D

Take care everyone,  
NoEarlyBird


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Don't own the rights to Beyblade.

 **A/N:** Hellooo~

Guys I'm _so_ excited about this chapter! It's of epic length - see it as a treat to make up for the lack of TyKa moments in the previous chapter ;) - and it's got some of everything in it.

A huuuge thank you to beyblade-lover, kaidatinuchan, Yuelian-Licht89, IcePhoniex and Little A Granger! You guys are so amazing! Thanks so so much for sharing your thoughts about this every week and for still sticking with me on this! :)

Now, enjoy this XXL chapter!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 14

* * *

It was Friday afternoon and Tyson wasn't happy. He hadn't seen Kai all day yesterday and today. How was that even possible? They were living in the same house after all. Tyson was sprawled across the couch and aimlessly zapped through the TV channels. Man, he couldn't even mount enough enthusiasm to stick with one show. Today everything sucked. Big time! Yes, Tyson was sulking like a little kid and he knew that. That didn't mean he could do anything about it though. This was the thing with emotions – they were what they were. Tyson sighed slightly frustrated and changed the channel once more.

That moment the sound Tyson had been waiting to hear ever since he got home reached his ears: the sound of the front door opening. Kai! It could only be Kai, because Max was curled up in an armchair by the window reading a comic book and Ray was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

Tyson pricked up his ears. He could hear Kai's and Ray's muffled voices. Sadly there was no way to make out words. Maybe if he turned down the TV? No, Max was right there and if he'd notice Tyson was eves-dropping it would be a bit awkward.

He could go over and pretend to be very hungry and ask about dinner. That way he'd get to see Kai. He did feel a bit pathetic, but he had missed him. One could miss someone after a day, if one was used to seeing that person around all the time, right? So it wasn't _that_ pathetic. And he actually didn't have to pretend - he really was hungry and the smell of food from the kitchen was mouth‑watering. So if he went over there now he would not only get to see Kai, he'd also find out when dinner would be ready. Win-win!

Tyson switched off the TV and strolled over to the kitchen. Kai was sitting at the kitchen island with a cup of coffee. He was talking to Ray, who had half-way disappeared into one of the cabinets, apparently searching for something.

"Hey guys," Tyson said and put on a smile.

Kai stared into his cup and just hnd. Ray emerged from the cabinet with some herbs Tyson couldn't identify in his hands. He smiled back at him.

"Dinner is ready in a minute Tyson. Can you get Max?"

Tyson nodded. As he left he heard Kai say "You're such a good Mom, Ray."

He felt a pang of jealousy. Why did Ray get a joke and all he got was a hn? Pathetic, Tyson, he told himself again. Hopefully the food would cheer him up...

* * *

They'd just started with dinner when suddenly the doorbell rang. And it didn't just ring once, no, someone persistently kept ringing the bell. Kai raised a brow. Well, this was annoying.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched Max jump up.

"I'll get it."

Kai heard the front door open and Max's surprised voice saying hello to whoever was outside the door.

"Kaaii," Max then yelled from the hall. "It's for you, it's-..."

Before Kai heard the end of that sentence, Tala burst through the kitchen door.

Kai raised a brow and asked, "What are you doing back here already? And you know you could have just given the keys to Max?"

Tala didn't bother to answer. He walked straight over to Kai and pulled him up from his chair.

"The fuck, Valkov?" Kai snarled, not even trying to hide his annoyance.

"You, me, the pub!"

"Would you care to explain?"

"No, I would like about a bottle of vodka running through my veins. Now move it, Hiwatari, before I have to drag your slow ass outta here."

Kai didn't like the sound of this. He knew Tala well enough to know that he was really upset about something. One didn't need to be a genius to figure out it had something to with Bryan, given the fact they'd just returned early from their 'weekend' trip together.

Kai held out his hand.

"Keys," he said.

Tala let them fall into his outstretched hand and Kai dropped them on the kitchen counter.

"If you guys want to go out tonight, feel free to take the car, Ray. See you guys tomorrow," he said and followed Tala outside.

* * *

They had taken a cab downtown and found a corner table in their favorite bar. Before they'd even sat down Tala had already ordered a bottle of vodka on ice and an extra-large bowl of snacks. This was Tala's way of coping: vodka and peanuts.

Kai furrowed his brows. He saw a major hangover coming up in his near future. Yes, he had a good tolerance for vodka, but half a bottle of vodka (possibly more) was quite something.

When said bottle was brought to their table Tala quickly knocked back three shots, stuffed his face with a handful of peanuts and slumped into his seat.

Kai raised a brow. This was almost too pitiful to watch! What on earth had happened?

"Spill!" he ordered.

Dealing with emotional crisis in general wasn't Kai's thing – even less so if it was caused by relationship troubles. There was no doubt Spencer would have been the better address if it came to helpful advice and soothing words. But maybe all Tala wanted was to pour his heart out. That Kai could help with. He'd just have to sit here, listen and occasionally have a shot with his red-haired friend. Maybe he'd even manage a comforting pat on the back. Everything past that though was Spencer's area of expertise.

First Tala said nothing. He just sighed. Then he helped himself to another handful of peanuts. Another sigh followed. Kai rolled his eyes.

He handed Tala another shot and simply said, "Talk."

Tala took the shot, sat the glass down, sighed again and then, just as Kai was about to hit him over the back of the head, Tala started to speak.

"After I left your place I picked up Bryan and we made our way to these hot springs, about two hours south of here. It was a quiet drive and-…"

"Oh please, you road-raged like a champion."

"How do you-…"

"Bryan sent me photos."

"Do you think that's the reason why he-…"

"No, I'm sure he loved it," Kai interrupted again. "Go on."

Tala continued, "Yeah, well we got there: the hotel was awesome, the hot springs amazing… everything was fine and then next thing I know, he was being a dick. I guess there's no other explanation but this: I must really suck in bed!"

"It might be your personality, too."

"What are you trying to say?" Tala asked with furrowed brows.

"You're annoying."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better…how?"

"It's not," Kai said. "Just analyzing the situation and suggesting possible reasons."

"Oh gee, thanks!" Tala snorted and popped some more peanuts in his mouth. "Remind me why I came to you for help?"

"I've been asking myself that exact same question ever since you barged into my kitchen," Kai replied dryly.

He grabbed the bottle of vodka, poured them another shot and said, "Drink and go on."

Tala looked at his glass.

"Maybe this is why. Spencer never lets me touch a single drink. And I do need a drink now."

He emptied his glass and then shoved another handful of peanuts in his mouth. Kai wondered if there were any medical risks to eating this many peanuts. Anyway, it was making him sick just watching Tala stuff his face at this speed, so he pushed the bowl out of Tala's reach for now.

Tala, still chewing, said, "You know, maybe I should just let Bryan be a dick for a while and distract myself. I mean, this is Bryan we're talking about. I don't have to understand everything he does, right? It's impossible! Oh, I know: how about you tell me about your progress with Tyson?"

"How about no?"

"So I take it there is no progress. C'mon Kai, do us both a favor and kiss him already."

Kai glared at the redhead. How was that doing Tala a favor? As far as Kai knew he wasn't trying to make a career in match-making! This guy could be so damn irritating at times! Kai reminded himself that Tala was pretty upset at the moment and took a deep breath to keep himself from verbally ripping off the other's head.

"It's not that simple," he finally replied.

"Yeah it is. That part's no different from the girls you've been-…"

"That's not the point! We freakin' live together – that makes it complicated!"

Tala shrugged, "No, that makes it even easier! You can take him straight upstairs and get it over with."

"And you're surprised Bryan dumped you," Kai growled. "I'm surprised he started dating you in the first place."

"Gee, you don't have to be so mean. And he didn't dump me."

"Then why are we even here?"

"To get drunk so I can get past being pissed at Bryan and so you can finally come up with a way to follow your fucking heart."

"Fine," Kai said and refilled their glasses.

"Fine," Tala echoed and they both downed their shots.

* * *

The door had barely shut behind Kai and Tala when Max excitedly clapped his hands and started to beg Ray to drive them to the movies. He was really dying to see that movie. And to ride in Kai's car again! Tyson didn't even have time to sulk about the fact that Tala had just stolen his Kai‑time before Max involved him into the conversation. Tyson did an inward shrug and told himself that even though the movies wasn't what he'd hoped for tonight, it was pretty good alternative.

"Tyson, you wanna see it too, don't you? You don't have to answer, it's written all over your face. Oh please Ray, let's go see it. Please? Oh, and shotgun!"

"Yes, c'mon Ray, it'll be fun!" Tyson said. "We'll get popcorn and nachos and ice cream and whatever else looks good. Oh and shotgun for the way back!"

"Hey!" Max protested. "You can't shotgun the way back already."

"I can and I did. Plus you were shotgun last time."

Ray shook his head at their little quarrel, but smiled.

"Fine, why not," Ray said. "Just stop fussing over who gets to sit in front. It's only a car."

Max gasped.

" _Only a car_? But Ray!"

And then he went on and on about how Kai's car wasn't just a car, but really a work of art.

* * *

After the movie they returned straight home even though Max begged Ray to take a detour over the highway to see how fast the car would go, despite the fact that Kai would probably make him pay for the speeding ticket. They sat together in the living room for a while, discussing the move and what they liked and didn't like about it. After a while first Max, then Ray started to yawn and as their yawns became more frequently they wished Tyson a good night and went upstairs to their rooms. Tyson stayed downstairs. He didn't feel like he could sleep now. There were too many thoughts in his head for that. Not being able to sleep, now that was something he wasn't exactly used to. Usually he could sleep anywhere, anytime… Great, first Kai kept him from paying attention in school and now he even robbed him of his sleep. Another reason to finally make a move! But how could he do that, if Kai was never home?

"Rats!"

Tyson threw himself into the pile of pillows on the far end of the couch and buried his face in one of them.

"Rats, rats, rats."

He rolled around and blew out some air. This was killing him… Next time he'd see Kai he'd just walk up to him and kiss him until he wouldn't be able to remember his name! Or something like that…

Tyson reached for the remote control, switched on the TV and zapped through the channels until he found a cartoon he liked.

* * *

Eventually he must have dozed off, because next thing he knew there was a loud crash and Tyson jolted awake.

What the-…?

He relaxed when he realized he'd fallen asleep with the television on. The cartoon he'd been watching had made room for an action movie in which about a dozen cars had just been blown up. That explained the explosions. Tyson yawned and searched for the remote. He finally found it on the floor in front of the couch and turned the TV off.

Great, now what? The sound of the explosions had pumped quite an amount of adrenaline through his body. How was he supposed to go back to sleep with that?

Tyson scratched the back of his head. What did people do when they couldn't sleep? Count sheep. Heck no, he wasn't going to do that. How boring! He knew Ray always brewed himself a cup of tea and read a couple pages. Tyson didn't know what he should read though. He wasn't much of a bookworm… As a matter of fact, he didn't actually own a book. He could probably get one from Kai's personal library, but… nah. He wouldn't know where to start looking for something he liked and he didn't dare rummaging through Kai's stuff. Who knew what he'd find? The image of the handcuffs appeared in front of his inner eye. Tyson quickly shook his head, as if that would erase the picture.

Think about something else, Tyson, he told himself. Like, what does Kai do when he can't sleep?

Probably read, too. And maybe with a glass of vodka, instead of tea! Tyson shuddered. Ugh, no thanks. So that left Max. Of course! Tyson smiled. Why didn't he think of that sooner? Maxi swore on hot milk with honey. He'd made some for Tyson, too, a couple times. Oh now that was something he would gladly try.

Tyson quickly made his way to the kitchen. There he filled milk in a large cup, added some (a lot of) honey and put it in the microwave. As he watched the cup turn in the microwave his mind wandered to Kai. Was he still at the bar, hanging out with Tala? And what had been up with Tala earlier? He'd seemed a bit out of it.

The ping of the microwave interrupted Tyson's thoughts. Carefully he pulled his cup out of the microwave. Tyson took a sip from his cup and almost dropped it as a sharp pain shot through his lower lip. Damn, this was _way_ too hot to drink yet! He was about to blow on his milk when he heard the front door open. Kai must be home already. A glance over at clock told him 'already' was close to four o'clock. Wow, he had slept longer than he would have thought on that couch.

Just as Tyson put down his cup to go out in the hallway to see what was going on, the kitchen door opened and Kai walked in. He was walking fairly straight, but judging by the heavy smell of alcohol Kai brought with him Tala must have really meant it when he had talked about a bottle of vodka running through his veins.

"You smell like a bar."

The surprised look on Kai's face told him Kai hadn't noticed him until now. Yeah, he was drunk alright.

"Hey," Kai said.

Tyson watched him pour a large glass of water and gulp it down. He leaned against the kitchen counter across from Kai and watched him refill his glass.

"So, how was your night?" he asked. "Did you get Tala home ok?"

Kai shrugged and took another sip from his water before he answered, "Basically had to carry that idiot."

Tyson couldn't help but envy Tala. What he'd give to be carried by Kai… He shook his head. He was wandering off topic. Again!

Tyson glanced over at his secret crush, only to see crimson eyes looking directly at him. He saw how Kai slightly furrowed his brows, before he put down his glass and walked towards him.

Tyson felt his heartbeat accelerate and his cheeks flush more with every step Kai took towards him. What was Kai up to? Without taking his crimson eyes off of him, Kai came closer until they were only inches apart.

Tyson swallowed hard. Oh gosh, so close! So close he could make out every detail in Kai's eyes, so close he could feel the heat radiating off of Kai's body, so close that Tyson noticed the smell of mint mixed with that of alcohol. Had Kai been chewing gum? Why would he-…?

When Kai leaned in even further, Tyson was sure he was about to faint. He held on to the kitchen counter behind him, not trusting his legs to hold his weight. His heart was pounding hard and quick in his chest and everything in the room seemed to fade, except for Kai. Tyson's eyes slowly fluttered shut. He could almost feel Kai's lips on his, when suddenly…

 _Wham!_

Tyson's eyes flew open. The loud crash in the hallway was now followed by someone cursing under his breath. And just like that, the magic of the moment was gone. Tyson very much felt like cursing out loud, too. So close! He had been so close to kissing Kai, no _being kissed_ by Kai. Why? Why did someone have to interrupt what could have been the most important moment of his young life? Fu…dge!

Helplessly Tyson watched Kai take two quick steps back. Not a second too soon, because in that same moment Ray, still cursing, walked in.

"Um, hi Ray," Tyson said and picked up his now cooled down milk.

"Oh, hi you guys. Kai, next time you're drunk can you please remember to leave your shoes by the door and not place them at the bottom of the stairs?"

"Hn."

"Hn-yes or hn-… never mind!"

While Ray filled a glass of water Kai disappeared into the hallway and made his way up the stairs (judging by the sound not without tripping over his own shoes).

"What are you still doing here, Ty?"

"Huh? Oh I just got some warm milk. Couldn't fall asleep. You?"

"Thirsty," Ray yawned. "Let's go back to bed."

Tyson nodded and followed Ray up the stairs. He made sure Ray's door was firmly shut before he slid into Kai's room. There was no way he'd let this opportunity go to waste! Even if that meant taking advantage of the fact that Kai was drunk as a skunk. All was fair in love and war, right? Also, Kai had started it…

"Kai, I-…"

But Kai was sprawled across his bed, fully clothed and dead asleep. Dammit. Well, opportunity officially wasted. Tyson figured that, regardless what Kai's feelings towards him might be, the kiss wouldn't go very well for him if he were to wake up Kai now….

Tomorrow! He'd do it tomorrow. Tyson retrieved the blanket from Kai's armchair, carefully placed it over the sleeping figure and, after a second of hesitation, he bent down and placed a light kiss on Kai's cheek.

Then Tyson quietly slipped out the door, his heart racing and his lips curved to a smile.

* * *

 **A/N:** Now you can't say this was low on TyKa, huh? :D Hope you liked it!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone :)

NoEarlyBird


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Still don't own Beyblade. If I did, there'd be 10 more seasons.

 **A/N:** Guys...

this is it. The last official chapter. Wow. I'm bummed out.

Thanks to all of you who viewed, followed, faved and reviewed! You are the reason why this story grew to be 15 chapters long! I had so much fun writing it, and knowing you liked to read it made me have even more fun and made me write more and more! **So thank you from the bottom of my heart!**

And now... lets raise the curtain one more time for Kai and Tyson, shall we? :)

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Chapter 15

* * *

Kai woke up the next morning to find himself fully clothed sprawled across his bed. Depending how one looked at it, this was good or bad news. Personally, Kai had come to appreciate the fact of waking up clothed in his own bed. As for the rest… his mouth was dry and his head was throbbing most unpleasantly. Ugh, great, major hangover. Kai tried to recall just how many shots he'd had last night, but lost count somewhere around 14. It was simply impossible to say! Kai frowned and took comfort in the fact that Tala was most likely suffering just as much. After all, he had to drag Tala's drunk ass home last night before he could go home and-…

Kai jolted up. A sharp pain shot through his head and he quickly lay back down. His heart was racing and his eyes were open wide.

Last night! The kitchen! Tyson! Oh dear god… he was _so_ screwed!

He moaned and covered his face with both his hands. He had tried to kiss Tyson, hadn't he? Oh, no. Oh no, no, no, no, nooo! Oh this was bad! Now Tyson knew. Surely he must know how Kai felt towards him? Or maybe he just put it down as some strange behavior of a very, _very_ drunk person? Kai ran his fingers through his hair and stared up at the ceiling.

Kissing Tyson… A part of him wished he'd done it. The other part of him was simply terrified at the thought. Not about the kissing itself, obviously, but about Tyson's reaction to the kiss.

Kai squinted his eyes and tried to recall every detail of the previous night. He remembered Tyson standing over at the kitchen island, looking a bit rumpled as if he'd slept in his clothes… The overall appearance had been too adorable for Kai to resist! He also recalled Tala's voice in his head telling him to just do it … and the fact that he'd cursed his red-haired friend for getting into his head like that. But that wasn't the important thing, no. What really mattered was Tyson and Kai remembered every detail about him: Tyson's hazel eyes lock with his, Tyson's scent surrounding him as he walked towards him, then Tyson's body so close to his that he could feel his warmth, their lips almost touching. …Kai's eyes grew wide as he realized something: Tyson hadn't pushed him away! Instead, he'd closed his eyes. Had he wanted to be kissed? If yes, then… maybe… Tyson liked him back?

Kai's heart fluttered and he felt a silly smile tug on the corners of his lips. The smile quickly faded as the throbbing in his head increased. Damn headache. He needed a painkiller. Water, a painkiller, and most definitely a shower! Kai slowly got up, pulled some clean clothes from his closet and stepped out into the hallway. His eyes fell upon Tyson's door. Suddenly every fiber of his body seemed to be drawn to that door. He wanted nothing more than to burst through this door and finish where they'd left of last night!

Kai slightly shook his head. He needed to take a shower, and then he had to get out of here before he did something stupid. Somewhere nice and quiet, preferably, to cure his hangover…

* * *

Needless to say with everything that went on last night Tyson didn't sleep very well. By the time he'd finally managed to fall asleep the sun had already risen. It was well past noon when he stirred, rolled to his side and slowly blinked against the sunlight. Tyson yawned and rubbed his eyes. He debated whether or not he should turn around and draw the blanket over his head to go back to sleep, when last night's events flashed in front of his inner eye. Within a split-second Tyson was sitting upright in his bed.

The kitchen! Kai! Oh dear god… Kai had almost kissed him! And he'd given Kai a kiss on the cheek later!

Suddenly completely awake, Tyson jumped out of the bed and dashed into the bathroom, pausing only a brief moment to grab some fresh clothes. He needed to see Kai, but he wanted to be showered and dressed when he did. After a quick shower he dried off and put on his clothes as fast as he could. He stormed out into the hallway and just as he was about to knock on Kai's door his stomach growled loudly. Argh, man! …Maybe it would be best to grab a bite to eat first… Tyson sighed. He spun around and raced down the stairs.

"Well good morning Tyson. Or should I say good afternoon?"

Ray, who was sitting at the kitchen island with a cup of tea and a book, flashed him a smile. Tyson grinned and scratched the back of his head.

"Guess I had to catch up on my beauty sleep," he said.

Sloppily he spread some jam on two slices of bread and put them together. He took a big bite from his sandwich and turned to look at Ray.

"Say Ray, have you seen Kai? I need to speak to him," he managed to ask between bites.

Ray put the book down and answered, "He left a while ago. Probably went to lick his wounds somewhere quiet. Is everything okay, Tyson? Do you need help with something?"

"Nah, everything's fine. There's just something I want to talk to him about. Do you have an idea where he could have gone?"

Ray shrugged.

"The river, maybe. If I were you, I'd wait until he -…"

But Tyson was already halfway out the door, yelling a "Thanks, Ray!" as he slammed the front door shut behind him.

* * *

After taking a shower Kai had made his way to the river. He lay down in the grass, occasionally took a sip from the bottle of water he'd brought along and waited for the painkillers to work their magic. The fall sun was comfortably warm on his face and a light breeze ruffled through his hair. Kai closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the peaceful moment.

He must have dozed off eventually, because next thing he knew there was a sneeze and when he glanced to the side he saw Tyson sitting next to him. He rubbed his nose and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry Kai, I didn't mean to wake you."

Kai didn't say anything. He was a bit pre-occupied with keeping his body in check: his heart threated to jump out his chest at any moment and a treacherous blush tried hard to force its way onto Kai's cheeks. Well, at least his headache was gone!

Kai quickly turned his head and focused his eyes on the sky. He took a deep breath. Pull yourself together, Hiwatari, he told himself.

It was no use. His head replayed the almost-kiss over and over again, while his whole body tingled and ached to just pull Tyson closer. Why was he here? Was it coincidental or did he come looking for him? If so: why?

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tyson smile. Then Kai watched how the other let himself fall back into the grass. Oh no. Oh this was _way_ too close – so close Kai could have sworn he felt Tyson's fingers brush his. This was certainly not helping with his self-control. Quite the contrary, it only increased the tingly feeling in his body. Get a grip, he reminded himself.

Not knowing what else to say he just hnd. Such a great small-talker he was! But how could he focus on that, when it already took all his attention and self-control to keep himself from giving in to the urge to grab that boy and-…

Urgh, this was insane! How could people possibly enjoy being in love?

* * *

Tyson kept glancing over at Kai. He hadn't planned to lie so close to him. As a matter of fact, he hadn't planned any of this. The plan had been to run to the river and just haul himself at Kai, then improvise from there. Unfortunately, Kai had been asleep. And he had looked so peaceful that Tyson just couldn't bring himself to shake him awake. Instead, he'd sat down beside Kai and watched how specks of light and shadow danced across his sleeping face, and how his hair moved with the breeze. Tyson could have sat like this for ages, but today nothing seemed to go as planned. Before he could stop it a loud sneeze had escaped him and he'd jolted Kai awake.

And now here he was, lying side by side with Kai in the grass, so close that their fingertips were touching. He didn't dare to move. Being so close to Kai was heaven… and also hell. Tyson wanted to be closer, so much closer. But again he was afraid to make the next move, afraid it could result in Kai pushing him away. Once more his determination seemed to have vanished into thin air. How could that even be possible, after last night?

Last night… The thought alone was enough to send a shiver down his spine. He was such an idiot! Kai had tried to _kiss_ him! Kai was lying so close to him that their hands were touching, but he wasn't pulling away. What made him think Kai would push him away if he tried to get closer?

He'd do it! It was so easy – he just had to lean over and kiss him. Tyson decided to do a countdown. This time he'd be brave!

Ten… nine…, Tyson began to count down in his head. Eight…He could do this! Seven… six… Was this really a good idea? Five… four… Yes, it was! Tyson propped himself up on his elbows. Three… Two…

Just as he was about to lean over, his stomach suddenly growled! It was a pretty damn loud growl, too! Apparently the jelly sandwich hadn't satisfied his stomach… Cursing his bad luck, Tyson watched Kai's crimson eyes open, an amused sparkle in them.

Great, another perfectly good opportunity wasted!

* * *

The loud rumbling of Tyson's stomach jolted Kai from his thoughts.

"That sounded awful," he smirked. "I suggest we'll find something to eat, before you starve."

Kai picked up his bottle of water and got to his feet. He took a couple big steps through the grass, then stepped onto the footpath.

"Tyson? Are you coming?" Kai called over his shoulder.

When he didn't get an answer he turned around.

Tyson was standing a couple feet from him on the pathway. His fists were clenched and he was looking at Kai with a strange determination written on his face. His dark blue hair moved in the breeze. Kai swallowed. It took him all self-control he had not to run up to Tyson and pull him into his arms and do what he'd wanted to do ever since last night: conquer those lips with his!

He slightly shook his head. He had fallen so hard for this boy!

This was hardly the place though. He looked around: there were kids blading down by the river, people strolling on the pathway and more people sitting on benches looking out on the river.

Kai gritted his. Then he turned around and was about to stomp off when Tyson's voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Kai, wait," Tyson yelled at the top of his lungs. "I love you, Kai!"

* * *

Tyson slapped a hand across his mouth in surprise. Oh boy. Somehow that had just slipped out. What a way to declare your love, Tyson, he scolded himself. Very elegant, very romantic! Another thing that didn't go as planned today… Well, it was too late now. And at least the cat was out of the bag. No matter how things would go from here, this was a good thing.

Tyson lowered his hand and started to nervously gnaw on his bottom lip. Kai hadn't said anything yet. As a matter of fact, Kai hadn't even moved. He seemed to have frozen in place. Was this a good sign? Or was he trying to keep himself from ripping off Tyson's head? Oh shit! Oh shit, oh shit, oh shiiit. Why didn't he say anything?

Then, suddenly, everything seems to happen at once. Kai spun around and took a couple big steps towards him. Before Tyson knew what was going on Kai had grabbed him, pulled him in his arms and firmly pressed his lips against his. It took him a second to process what was happening. Was this real? Was Kai really kissing him? …Well either that or it was a damn good dream, the kind one did not want to wake up from. Something told him this was real, though, and he liked that even more!

Tyson felt his eyelids drop as he melted into the kiss. He threw his arms around Kai's neck and drew him closer. Tyson felt Kai's soft lips moving perfectly against his, felt his body, warm and firm, pressed against his own. He caught Kai's scent and couldn't help but think it was so much more intoxicating without that smell of vodka that had surrounded the other last night.

Kissing Kai was everything Tyson had hoped for, and so much more. It was his heart threatening to stop beating, only to beat at double-speed. It was his body shivering as if he was cold, but his skin burning at the same time. It was floating and drowning at once.

If only this kiss could last forever!

* * *

Kai's body just took over. Next thing he knew he was holding Tyson in his arms, so close that not even a sheet of paper would fit between them, with his lips on Tyson's.

He felt a shudder run though his body as Tyson returned the kiss, pulling him closer. This was almost too good to be true. But thankfully Tyson's lips moving against his and Tyson's fingers in his hair felt very, _very_ real! Kai slightly opened his mouth and nudged Tyson's lower lip with his tongue. Tyson's tongue found his, shy at first, then more confident, and Kai lost himself in the kiss. Nothing mattered but Tyson and him. It was almost like that time when they'd faced each other in Bey-Battle and everything but them had seemed to fade… Just that no Bey-Battle in the world could ever make him feel like he felt now kissing Tyson: his heart was racing, it was like fireworks exploded in his stomach and his skin seemed to be on fire. It was the most amazing feeling and Kai had never felt more alive.

When they finally pulled apart in desperate need of air they were both breathing heavily. Kai still held Tyson close to him, not ready to let the other one go just yet. He couldn't imagine ever letting go, even though the rational part of his brain told him he'd have to eventually. He told that part to shut up for once. He locked eyes with Tyson. Kai felt as if he was drowning in these beautiful hazel eyes. They had him mesmerized and he was about to lower his lips on Tyson's again, when something caught his attention.

It was a man with a camera. When he saw Kai looking at him he jumped, turned around, and ran.

Oh...

"Um, I think we've just been photographed," Tyson murmured.

To Kai's surprise Tyson blushed heavily. He couldn't help but smile at the adorable view.

Tugging a strand of the other's dark blue hair Kai said, "That's because you always have to yell around."

Tyson hid his face by pressing it against Kai's shoulder.

"Are you mad?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"Why would I be?"

"Err, you hate the press… and this… I mean, we… err…"

Tyson was right. Kai definitely didn't like the press - hated their guts, actually. But he thought, a bit to his own surprise, that this very moment he couldn't care less. He put a finger under Tyson's chin and gently made the other look at him.

"Right now I don't give a damn," he said. "And do you know why? Because I love you Tyson! I really do, and I don't mind the world knowing it. I only regret not being able to see Tala's face when he finds out and-…"

Tyson's lips on his kept him from saying any more. Kai smiled into the kiss. He didn't mind being shut up this way at all. He pulled Tyson closer and soon the other boy's rumbling stomach and all the people around them were forgotten.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Blitzkrieg Boy's house, the constant chiming of a phone disrupted the silence.

"Can't you fucking mute you god-damn push notifications?"

Shocks of grey and red hair emerged from a pile of blankets and pillows.

Tala reached over to the nightstand to pick up and silence his phone, so he wouldn't provoke another fight with Bryan. After all, they'd only made up last night. Somehow! His memory was a bit blurry…

Tala squinted his eyes as he scanned the screen to see if anything interesting had happened. When he saw what exactly had just made the front page of every tabloid a grin spread on his face.

He put the phone down and sunk back in the blankets with a most self-satisfied, "Fuck I'm good. Bryan, how do you feel about calling me Cupid from now on?"

* * *

 **A/N: The End ...?**


	16. Bonus Chapter Part I

Disclaimer: Beyblade = (c) Takao Aoki.

 **A/N** : Hi guys!

Yes, your are reading this right. An update for Felix Culpa. How exciting! I felt there were still some parts of their story that had to be told... so I went ahead and got started on what was intended to be a bonus chapter, emphasis being on "a". One chapter. One short chapter to wrap things up. Well, guess what. It's not going to be one chapter. As I started to write the words just spilled onto the pages and so I guess, realistically, we're looking at Bonus Chapter Part I-III. ^^

Before I get on with the story I jst wanted to say thank you to all of your fav's, follow's and reviwes since I last updated. So a huge thank you to

Yuyu Sayatika, kyuubi, kaidatinuchan, Little A Granger, CRSWoodferns, MasKaiHilFantic, Sammiesam06, harmonized, CallMeASinner, lunicdragon, Shogun95 and SpiritTrainer.

I really hope I didn't forget to mention anyone (if I did, I'm truly sorry and thanks to you too! :) ).

Okay, enough of my blabbering. Here's Bonus Chapter... Part I!

* * *

 **Felix Culpa**

Bonus Chapter - Part I

* * *

"Tyson, can you tell your _boyfriend_ that he just ran a red light? Again."

"Tyson, can you tell your friend that I had to do that to get your late asses to school on time? Again."

"Can you both just stop doing that?" Tyson retorted. "And Maxi, can you please stop using the B‑word at every chance you get?"

"That's payback for you not telling me you've been crushing on Kai here for, like, _ever_."

Kai rolled his eyes. He'd been getting the same from Ray. As if that alone wasn't bad enough, on top there was Tala asking on a daily basis if they had had sex already. Even if they wanted how could they, with Tala calling every five minutes and with Ray and Max sneaking around them grinning and whispering?! And they just weren't there yet. Heck, it had taken them a whole week to dtr, even though the photo of their first (or second, or maybe third or fourth) kiss had made the front page before they'd even gotten home! Kai didn't mind taking it slow. After all, this was a completely new situation for both of them.

A couple weeks had passed since their first kiss and their every-day life had mostly stayed the same. During the day Tyson would be at school and Kai would be at home, working out and preparing for business school. Later Tyson would barge into Kai's room and ask him to help with his homework or haul himself at Kai as if he hadn't seen him in years or do a combination of both. At school nights they'd stay in and have a movie night with the others or just spend some time together. On weekends they'd go to the beach or the movies or hide away in one of their room's (usually Kai's, because Tyson's usually looked like a war zone).

But of course not everything had stayed the same. What had been the most drastic change apart from their relationship statues had been the media's interest in them, which had gone off the charts. Kai was putting Tala's sunglasses to use pretty often these days – whenever he left the house, really. The paparazzi were also the reason why Kai had started to act as Tyson's school bus (and Max's, unfortunately). Which was why he was racing across town this instance, having to endure the constant teasing from the backseat – just like every morning!

Kai sharply turned a corner, speed down the street and finally pulled to a stop in front of the school gate with squealing tires. In the rear mirror he watched Max get out the car. Tyson was about to do the same when, following an instinct, Kai leaned over and pulled Tyson's door shut.

He rolled down the window.

"Hey Max?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell your teacher that unfortunately Tyson isn't feeling well today."

"Err, what?" Max asked slightly perplex.

Kai just smirked at him and rolled up the window. He put the car in gear and raced away, leaving behind a wide-eyed Max.

"Um, Kai?" Tyson then spoke up. "Where are we going?"

"Out of here!" Kai said and smiled.

* * *

Under normal circumstances Tyson might have protested against this sudden kidnapping. But being with Kai circumstances were never normal - especially when Kai smiled at him. Even though they were a couple now, Kai's smiles were still rare and Tyson hadn't been able to cope just yet. Kai's mere presence made his heart skip a beat. A smiling Kai was something that completely took his breath away.

Just like it did now!

Tyson was so overwhelmed by the swarm of butterflies in his stomach and the tingly feeling that spread through his whole body that he couldn't even put two words together. So instead he just sat there and enjoyed the feeling of complete happiness.

"This is Kai Hiwatari."

Tyson shot Kai an irritated glance.

"I know who you are, but thanks anyways," he replied.

Kai gave him a quick side glance, crimson eyes sparkling amused. Wordlessly he pointed at his ear. Or was it his head? Was he going crazy? Oh. No, Kai wasn't going crazy – Kai was talking on the phone, via head‑set. He must have put it on while Tyson was busy daydreaming about him.

"Is anyone staying at the country home this weekend?" Kai asked while he maneuvered the car onto the highway the led inland. "Good. Please tell housekeeping I am on my way up there right now and ask her to prepare for two."

Then Kai disconnected and removed the head-phones.

"Seriously, you could have given me a heads-up," Tyson complained. "Also, why didn't you use the car speakers?"

"Haven't bothered to connect my phone yet and it won't let me do that while I drive."

"Smart car," Tyson grinned. "So… country home? Care to explain?"

Kai nodded.

"It's a house my family owns right outside a little town in the mountains, about a three hour drive from here. I think you'll like it there."

Tyson scratched his head.

"Your family's house? Who lives there?"

Kai shrugged.

"No one, really. My father used to spend his summer vacations there."

"No one?" Tyson echoed.

Okay, weird. Well, at least that way he wouldn't have to go through the awkward meet‑the‑family‑routine yet.

Tyson smiled. He was starting to feel really excited about this spontaneous weekend-trip. Three whole days where he'd have Kai all to himself!

* * *

Three hours later Kai pulled into a parking spot on town square. He cut the engine and looked at his boyfriend. Tyson was curled up in the passenger's seat, sleeping peacefully. He'd dozed off within minutes after Kai had told him where they were headed.

He watched Tyson for a couple heartbeats, allowing a little smile to creep onto his face at this adorable sight. Kai carefully brushed a strand of hair out of Tyson's face and lightly stroked his cheek.

"Time to wake up, Tyson."

"Hmmmm… Don't wanna…," Tyson mumbled.

"Well in that case you'll have to get by without clean clothes this weekend," Kai smirked.

Tyson blinked at him.

"Clothes?"

Then he suddenly sat up straight.

"Clothes! Oh my god, I didn't pack anything!"

He frantically looked around.

"Where are we? Are we there yet? Is this your house?"

"No, that would be town hall. Our house is just outside town. I figured we should get some clothes before we had up there though."

"And food," Tyson added.

"The housekeeper will take care of that."

"Housekeeper," Tyson mumbled. "In a house where nobody lives. Makes total sense to me."

Kai shrugged.

"Well someone needs to look after the estate."

* * *

First they were talking about a country home, now it was an estate? Tyson wondered what exactly was awaiting him… He decided he'd see soon enough, so he didn't ask Kai about it.

Tyson watched Kai get out the car and once more noticed how cool Kai was. He opened the door and got out in one swift movement. He even managed to put on his sunglasses while he did! Tyson was glad if he didn't get stuck in the door or bump his head when he scrambled out the car. And he highly doubted he looked even half as cool as Kai. Then he shrugged. No one was as cool as Kai Hiwatari.

Tyson got out the car and followed Kai into one of the stores. He looked around. A carpet covered the floor, the clothes were displayed on wooden shelves and the staff wore business clothing. Well, this certainly was no H&M… But honestly, no matter how hard he tried, he could not see Kai shopping at one of those. Then again, he couldn't picture Kai shopping for clothes at all. That other day at the mall he hadn't seemed like he greatly enjoyed shopping in general.

"Let's look around and I'll meet you here in 30 minutes," Kai suggested.

"Wait, you wanna split up?"

Kai smiled.

"I have a feeling we'll be looking in different sections. Also, I'd rather not be close by if you take your clothes off. I couldn't guarantee for anything. Oh and pick whatever you like – shopping is on me. After all I kind of kidnapped you."

And just like that Kai disappeared between the shelves, leaving a feverishly blushing Tyson behind.

Kai couldn't guarantee for anything? And he just said something like that out of the blue and with no hint of a blush whatsoever? Tyson swallowed hard and discretely fanned himself. Was it just him or was it suddenly pretty warm in this store?

He quickly glanced around if anyone had witnessed this scenario, but there was not a soul in sight.

Tyson took a deep breath to collect himself. Then he started to look for something to wear.

* * *

Kai went around the shelf and, once out of sight, stopped to take a deep breath.

He hadn't planned on openly explaining his motive for splitting up like that. What Tyson must be thinking of him? That he didn't have his hormones in check? Oh boy. He ran his fingers through his hair. Well, it wasn't very far from the truth. He was only human – of course his body reacted to Tyson's touch, hell, to his simple presence sometimes! So far he'd managed to keep his body in check. He didn't want to rush things. It was only a matter of time though… Damn hormones. Even a Kai Hiwatari was powerless against the force of nature.

He shook his head and went off to find something to wear for the weekend. He then remembered something and sent a text to Tyson, telling him to get some swimming trunks as well. The second his finger had hit "send" he already regretted it. Only moments ago he'd acknowledged the fact that his hormones were about to get the better of him and now he told Tyson to get swimming trunks, of all things. He had to be mental. Or a masochist. Or both!

Kai shook his head. He'd better find some clothes now.

* * *

Tyson looked at the pile of clothes in his arms: a pair of shorts, a pair of jeans, three T-shirts, a sweater, some boxer shorts and some swimming trunks. Oh, socks! He still needed socks! He quickly added a pack of socks to his pile of clothes and smiled contently. Other than first expected he'd found plenty of things he really liked in this store.

"Did you find everything you need?"

Tyson looked up to see Kai walk towards him. He, too, was carrying an armful of clothing – only his were neatly folded, unlike the items Tyson held in his arms. Why bother, Tyson wondered. First, they were going to be folded at the cashier's and then stuffed into a bag where they'd crumble again. So to him it made no sense whatsoever to fold anything before he got home… Well, this was just Kai being a perfectionist.

He nodded and smiled at Kai.

"I did! They really have everything here."

Kai hnd approvingly.

They both dropped their clothes onto the cashier's desk and Tyson watch the clerk neatly fold every single item and, at Kai's request, sort them in two separate bags.

Kai then swiped his card and they left the store.

"Thanks Kai," Tyson said and smiled.

Kai just nodded. But Tyson didn't expect Kai, of all people, to get overly emotional over some new clothes.

Kai stashed their bags into the trunk and they got into the car. As Kai stirred the car towards the outskirts of town Tyson curiously looked around. He had no clue where exactly he was, being that he'd been asleep for the entire drive. It was a small town with lots of old, traditional buildings. Soon houses got bigger and yards got larger and before Tyson knew it they had left the town behind. Now trees lined both sides of the curvy street that steadily led them uphill.

After they had driven through the woods for a couple minutes Tyson turned to look at Kai and said, "Are we there yet?"

Kai gave him an amused side glance.

"Why am I not surprised you ask that?" he said with a little smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Because you know me," Tyson smiled back.

Kai nodded.

"So, are we there yet?"

"We are," Kai said and set the blinker.

Kai then turned the car into a driveway and pulled to a stop in front of a large and pretty high‑security looking gate. Tyson stared at it with wide eyes. First country home, then estate, and now this gate. Just what exactly was this ominous country home? He watched Kai punch in a code and … did he just scan his fingerprint? The doors of the gate swung open and Kai drove through.

Behind it lay a long driveway. At least Tyson suspected the long road that wove through the forest ahead of them to be the drive way. A house was not in sight, but left and right there were lights. And who would gate and light a random street in the forest?

They drove for another couple of minutes.

Then Tyson said, "Didn't you say we were here?"

"Because we are."

"There's no house in sight."

Kai smirked.

"Look again."

And that very moment the trees opened to a large circular drive-way and suddenly Tyson knew why this property was so large: the windows! Half the house seemed to be made of glass.

He didn't know what he had expected, but he was sure he hadn't expected this. This was not an ordinary cabin in the woods, no. This was a modern-style villa with large floor-to-ceiling windows, a big entrance and various terraces and balconies on different levels.

Tyson couldn't do anything but stare at the house.

Country home? If this was the house that stood empty for most of the time… what did the houses look like that the Hiwatari family actually lived in? He swallowed hard. He'd always known that Kai's family was wealthy… still, seeing physical proof of it was slightly (very) intimidating.

"Um, wow," he finally managed to say. "Quite a house."

Kai only hnd and got out of the car. They got their bags from the trunk and together climbed up the few stairs to the big entrance. Before they even reached the door it already swung open. A woman in her mid-fifties, neatly dressed and with a pleasant smile on her face stood in the doorway.

"Welcome, young Master Kai! I hope you had a pleasant journey," she greeted.

Usually Tyson would have laughed at this, but frankly he felt too intimidated right now. Well, there was a first time for everything, right?

"It was fine, thank you," Kai replied. "Mrs. Wu, may I introduce to you Tyson Granger, my boyfriend?"

For some reason Tyson always felt embarrassed when Max spoke of Kai as his boyfriend – probably because that was exactly Max's agenda. Kai introducing him as his boyfriend, however, didn't feel embarrassing at all. No, Tyson felt quite happy and proud about it.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Mrs. Wu said and gave Tyson a warm smile.

"Um, thank you, it's nice to meet you too," Tyson hurried to answer.

Then they stepped inside and Tyson had to try hard to keep his jaws from crashing to the ground. He had stepped into a grand foyer with high ceilings and marble floors. On his right side open double doors led into what seemed to be a cloak room, on his left side a grand staircase led up to the second floor. Straight ahead the room opened up into a big open space that had to be the main living area. Against the right wall stood an elegant little side table, some fresh flowers and a table lamp had been accurately placed on it and a mirror hung above it. While Tyson was still trying to take everything in, Kai almost carelessly dropped his keys on the said table.

"Master Kai, would you like me to lead you to your rooms now?"

"Thanks, but there's no need. I still know my way around."

"As you wish. I have made up your bedroom and the guest room just down the hall from yours. A little lunch is set up for you on the main terrace. At what time would you like your dinner tonight?"

"We might go out this afternoon, so we won't be eating before seven o'clock, I think."

"Very well, I will have dinner ready by the time you return."

"Thank you Mrs. Wu."

She smiled and nodded. Then she left. And they were alone…

* * *

 **A/N** : There. A first glance at Tyson and Kai as a couple. Because some of you were asking about this: this will not be a lemon. I gave this a lot of thought and decided that this story just feels much too innocent. But there will definitely be more couple-moments in the next part. :)

Hope you enjoyed this. Have a good night and take care! ~Bird


	17. Bonus Chapter Part II

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed, Don't own the rights to Beyblade, don't make money with this.

 **A/N** : I know! It has been ages! For some time I was worried I'd never get this done.

But hello first! Do you rember me? :D It's good to see you!

I don't think I have to tell you I had lost all my motivation for writing this out. Countless attempts. Nothing good. But the other day I got a review on a nother story in which the reviewer also asked about this fic, said they'd be happy to read the end and other probably too ... That was my long-needed kick in the butt. So a huge thank you to the Random Fan!

And of course to thouse who followed, faved and or reviewed this story (and please forgive me if I forget to mention someone, it has been so long): Yuya Sayatika, animelover 12, LittleAGranger, kaidatinuchan, Girl Of Flames, abbiedobbey, chocoholic18 and ShadowMoon7321! Your support is much appreciate and I sencerely apologize for making you wait this long!

And that's my clue for admitting this:

This is not the final chapter.

Oh great, you must thiunk, another year's wait. But no. The last chapter is basically done. So please cheer me on to get this polished and ready for you soon!

And now I will shut up and end with: enjoy! :)

~Bird

* * *

Bonus Chapter - Part II

* * *

Alone! As realization hit him, Tyson swallowed hard. Kai and him were alone in this huge house on an even bigger property with not one but the housekeeper around, who probably wasn't even staying here.

Tyson swallowed again. How could he not have thought about… _that_ aspect of this trip until now? Alone at last… did this mean …? Like … now? Oooh boy. Oh boy he had not thought this through _at all_!

Well, not that he hadn't been thinking about _that_ at all… he had! Quite frequently, as a matter of fact. He felt the growing desire to be closer to Kai. Not that there was anything wrong with hugging and kissing - that was flat out amazing! It was only that he wanted ...more. Tyson feverishly blushed at the thought. Now, here was the problem: he was certain he was going to make a fool out of himself. Maybe to a point were Kai would leave him. Either Kai was experienced and was going to be awesome, or he was a natural (which he was bound to be, the way he radiated sex appeal) and going to be awesome. Tyson, frankly, was neither.

Well, fuck. Or… not, in this case.

Also there was the question of Kai's... taste. Tyson hadn't forgotten about the handcuffs – the handcuffs that had been clipped to the foot of Kai's bed. This was something he had to figure out before… Well, _that_.

* * *

Kai watched Tyson's expression change from eyes wide and slightly pale to eyes squinted shut and tomato-red to what was probably Tyson's thoughtful expression.

He raised his brows. Even without asking Kai had a pretty good idea of what was going on in Tyson's head. It wasn't hard to figure out, really, as it was written all over his face.

Kai thought it was somehow comforting to know he wasn't the only one having those thoughts. Still, Kai was starting to feel uneasy just watching Tyson… He needed to interrupt before things got awkward!

"Relax," he said and lightly snapped Tyson against the forehead. "I just wanted to spend some time with you away from prying eyes. No secondary motive."

He watched Tyson turn an even darker shade of red that he had before – one he hadn't thought biologically possible – and decided it was probably time to show Tyson his room.

"Come on," he said.

Kai took the stairs to the second floor. On this floor there were only three rooms, because half the story was taken up by a rooftop garden. Apart from Kai's room, there was a guest room and a room that used to be a music room, but had been turned into more of a library by Kai. Today, only the grand piano in front of the large windows reminded of its former function.

Kai opened the first door to the left.

"This is your room. I'll, um, let you settle in. My room's down the hall on the right – just come there once you're ready."

* * *

Tyson nodded.

"Thanks Kai," he said and smiled.

He squeezed Kai's hand, placed a kiss on Kai's cheek and went into his room. He shut the door behind him and took a deep breath.

Well, that had been embarrassing! It seemed Kai had known exactly what had been on his mind. Either Kai could read his mind, or his face gave away too much. Most likely the latter (though he wouldn't completely rule out Kai's mind-reading-abilities). Damn, he really needed to work on his poker face! Tyson shook his head, trying to rid himself of this memory. Then he looked around. The wall opposite the door was more or less made of glass. In the middle of it stood a large bed with more pillows than one person could possibly use. It looked incredibly comfy. Too comfy for Tyson to resist. He ran towards the bed, jumped and with a loud "woohoo" he flopped onto the bed, arms and legs spread wide. Oh yes! This bed would be good enough even for a king. Tyson just lay there for a moment, enjoying the comfort, before he rolled around and sat up.

He really didn't need much time to settle in. He had only needed a short moment alone to overcome his embarrassment. Now that he'd successfully managed to ban that moment from his mind, he was really keen on seeing Kai's room. And Kai, of course!

As he rolled out of bed, a door caught Tyson's eye. Instantly his curiosity was sparked. He walked over and peeked through the door.

… He should have expected this. It was a bathroom. Of course a room in this house would have an en-suite bathroom. Tyson's eyes scanned over the marble floors and free standing bathtub and he shook his head. All this for the occasional weekend-trip. What a waste.

Since he'd found the bathroom, Tyson decided he might as well put it to use. He quickly freshened up, then stepped out into the hall to go find Kai. Down the hall on the right he'd said. Tyson looked down the hall. Fool-proof instructions, since there was only one door on the right!

He trotted over to the door and with a "Knock, knock!" he burst through the door.

Curiously his eyes darted about. The room was huge – almost twice the size of Tyson's room, which he'd already considered to be big.

To his left was a window front looking out onto a stunning roof-top garden in traditional Japanese style. Tyson squinted his eyes. At second glance, one of the windows turned out to be a glass door – direct access to the garden, pretty neat!

He let his eyes wander. Similar to his room the bed stood on the wall opposite the door, a bedside table on both sides. On his left were two doors and in between stood a big armchair and standing lamp. Tyson smiled. Of course. It wouldn't be Kai's room without a place to read. Speaking of reading… Where were the books? Tyson stepped further into the room and it was only when he turned to shut the door that he saw the books. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of them. The entire wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Tyson smiled. Yes, this was definitely Kai's room.

"Knocking's just not your thing, is it?"

Tyson spun around to see Kai step through one of the doors.

"Hey I sorta did! Didn't you hear me say-… is that a walk-in closet?" he interrupted himself.

Kai just hnd. He quickly walked over to him and Tyson found himself being dragged out of the room by one hand.

"Come on, let's eat," Kai murmured.

He smiled. Could it be that Kai was embarrassed? How adorable.

Kai quickly marched down the hall and down the stairs, not letting go of Tyson's hand.

"What's on the first floor?" he asked as he hurried to keep up with the fast pace.

"My grandfather's rooms and some other rooms," Kai replied without slowing down.

They'd reached the ground floor now and Tyson found himself being dragged through the main living area so quickly that all he caught was a glimpse off a big fireplace to his right. It seemed Kai really didn't want him to look around… Out on the terrace Kai finally slowed down.

Tyson quickly stepped in front of Kai. He reached for Kai's free hand and entwined their fingers.

"Something the matter?"

"No."

"Liar." Tyson grinned. "You know you can't keep me from looking around – I'll just do it when you're not looking."

Kai rolled his eyes, which only made Tyson grin wider. Oh yes, his skills at reading Kai Hiwatari were definitely improving. Kai didn't want him to snoop around. Why was beyond him though, because this house was simply amazing. He slightly shook his head. He might have improved in reading Kai, but he was still far from understanding everything that went on inside that guy's head. He probably would never fully understand him – Kai was just too complex a being for him.

Tyson let go of Kai's hands and trailed his fingers up Kai's arms until they came to a rest at the back of his head. He loved having his hands there, to either curl into the soft hair at the back of Kai's head or stroke along the lines of his shoulders - which might sound odd, but Kai had _really_ nice shoulders! Tyson gently pulled him down and lightly put his lips on Kai's. He immediately felt that warm, tingly feeling that always accompanied kissing Kai. Kai responded promptly to the kiss and wrapped his arms around Tyson's lower back. Just as they were about to deepen the kiss Tyson's stomach growled. Loudly!

* * *

Kai pulled away and couldn't help but grin. If it wasn't Tala or Ray or random paparazzi, it was surely going to be Tyson's stomach that interrupted their kiss.

He nodded his chin towards the meal – plates of bagels, wraps and fruits - that had been set up for them underneath a sunscreen.

"As much as I enjoy this, I have a feeling we should feed you first," he said.

Tyson laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, maybe I should-…" he turned around and burst out. "Oh my god! This looks _so_ good!"

Kai chuckled.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Tyson beamed. Kai watched him storm over to the table, snatch up a bagel and burry his face in it. Okay. Using a plat was overrated anyways.

"Mhmm, ph 'asts 'ood too," Tyson uttered between bites.

So was speaking without a mouth full of bagel, apparently. Kai sighed. There was probably no point in bringing up table manners when Tyson was this starved… He walked over to the table. Following Tyson's example he picked up a bagel (unlike Tyson he sat down first, though) and took a bite. It seemed to dawn on the other that he was still standing now, and slightly blushing Tyson dropped down onto a chair across from him.

Kai watched Tyson devour the last of his bagel, then immediately start munching on a wrap. That, too, was gone within the blink of an eye. Most impressive. Tyson could without a doubt eat for Japan. Kai shook his head. Sometimes he still could not believe he'd fallen for Tyson, of all people. Usually that thought crossed his mind when he watched him eat…

"Would you like to take a walk after lunch to have a look around?" Kai asked.

Tyson nodded enthusiastically – thankfully refraining from speaking this time, as his mouth was filled to maximum capacity with another bagel – and his eyes lit up with childlike excitement. Kai smiled. That was why: these honest emotions, that positive energy… and maybe, to some extent, Tyson's lack of table manners, too. They were what made him Tyson after all. Kai watched Tyson taking a bite from a slice of apple in his one hand, then take a bite from a wrap in his other hand. His smile grew wider. Somehow even that was… loveable.

Wow, Kai then thought. He'd really fallen hard for this boy, if he even considered his irritating eating habits loveable. …Very, _very_ hard.

* * *

Tyson looked up to see a rare expression on Kai's face – a genuine, soft smile. Tyson's heart skipped a beat. So gorgeous!

He hurried to swallow the last of his wrap and asked, "Watcha thinking about?"

Kai locked eyes with him and Tyson's stomach fluttered.

"About how hard I've fallen for you," Kai simply said.

Tyson went to tomato-red in a split-second. He hadn't seen that one coming. Kai didn't talk much about his feelings. His heart threatened to leap out his chest and he felt a silly grin spread across his face.

"Ehehe. Wow Kai, what triggered this emotional outburst?"

Kai rolled his eyes.

"Don't make me regret this."

"Oh I'm sorry," Tyson hurried to say. He snatched up Kai's hand. "Don't go all sour-puss on me – I love you too!"

Kai rolled his eyes again, but this time Tyson could see the little smile he was trying to hide. Oh yes, his reading-Kai-Hiwatari-skills had seriously improved.

"Come on, let's go."

"Yessir!" Tyson saluted playfully.

He jumped up and ran around the table to throw his arms around Kai and place a quick kiss on Kai's lips.

"I really do love you, Kai!"

Tyson then let go of Kai and picked up another bagel.

"For the road," he said and grinned widely.

Better safe than sorry, right?

* * *

Kai felt a light blush conquer his cheeks and is heart leaped in his chest. That feeling only lasted for a moment though, because then Tyson snatched up another bagel.

That little glutton…

Kai resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Instead, he reached for Tyson's bagel-free hand and led him down the stairs to a lower level terrace. He walked right past the pool area and headed for the forest.

"Hey Kai, where are we going?" Tyson asked in between bites.

"You'll see..."

"That's very secretive," Tyson said. "How about a hint?"

"No."

"Huh."

Out of the corner of his eye Kai saw him eye his bagel and, after a moment of consideration, sink his teeth into it. For the road, huh?

"So I am just following you into that dark, big, lonely forest without a clue about where we are going?" Tyson said with his mouth still half full.

Had he really stuffed in half a bagel at once?!

"Pretty much," Kai simply replied.

There was no use raising the issue of table manners when Tyson's mind was preoccupied like this. A waste of breath. And as Kai had discovered, mouth full or not, he'd keep loving this boy either way...

"Okay. That's cool. I mean, only every other horror film starts this way, but hey. Fun."

"Tyson, it is broad daylight, it is a very short way that I've walked multiple times and the most dangerous thing in this forest is probably a bunny."

"Short as in your driveway short, or actually short? And mind you, walking there and back does not count as multiple times. I do like bunnies, though - d'you think we will see some?"

Kai growled.

"I might just leave you in that forest ..."

"Oi, that's not a very nice thing to say to your boyfriend," Tyson complained.

Boyfriend... Kai liked the way Tyson called himself his boyfriend. No stuttering or blushing... A silly little grin forced its way onto lips.

Tyson Granger, his boyfriend.

Yes. It still sounded nice.

... Oh, he'd fallen so hard!

* * *

When Kai didn't reply, Tyson glanced up and saw Kai looking ahead, a smile on his lips.

His heart leaped in his chest. He really did smile more. And it made him so much more handsome!

Tyson still had to ask.

"Are you honestly smiling at the thought of abandoning me in the forest, Kai?"

Maybe he should have saved that last bagel – whether to eat or to leave a trail of breadcrumbs, it might have come in handy.

Kai didn't seem to have heard him. Or maybe he had and didn't care to answer. Very well possible with Kai.

But Tyson wouldn't be Tyson if he'd give up after one attempt to get an answer.

"Earth to Kai! Where you-... Woooaaah! So pretty!"

They stepped out onto a meadow. In its middle was a lake and Tyson could see a jetty and a little boat half hidden behind some high grass along the shore. The colorful leaves of the surrounding trees were reflected on the water surface and together with the afternoon sun painted a beautiful, peaceful picture.

Tyson let go of Kai's hand and stormed onto the jetty.

"Kai, look how clear the water is! I can see the ground. And a fish! No, two! No, a whole bunch of them! This is _so_ cool!"

"Actually, this isn't-..."

"Do you think I'll be able to catch one with my bare hands?" Tyson interrupted him. "Oh! Hey, let's go in."

Kai had now caught up with him and vigorously shook his head.

"Absolute not. It's fall – the water will be freezing and the air isn't warm enough anymore. You'll catch a cold."

Tyson grinned.

"You're just saying that 'cause you're a sissy."

Kai swiftly raised one brow like only he could and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Suit yourself!"

Ha. Well, if he didn't want to, Tyson still would. He pulled off his shoes, yanked off his socks, walked a couple steps back to where the water was very shallow and jumped in. He wiggled his toes in the water and flashed Kai a triumphant smile.

Then the cold hit him.

"Aah!"

Tyson thought he might as well have crossed and ice-skating rink with bare feet. He turned around and waded to shore as quickly as possible. As he was jumping up in down trying to revive his numbed feet, Tyson didn't have to look at Kai to know the smug expression he'd be carrying. Kai was probably having a ball...

"Don't say anything..." he muttered.

"Don't have to."

Smug bastard...

Tyson finally turned to face Kai. To his surprise, Kai was not soaking in the sight of his victory. He wasn't watching at all – Kai was tying lose the boat. Aw, a boat trip! At once, his shock-frozen feet were forgotten and Tyson stormed over.

"You'll row, right?" he said a grinned.

Kai snorted. Oh yeah, Tyson knew how to press his buttons.

"I mean, I'll be in charge of fishing, so..."

"Let's just hope you don't tip us over in the process..."

"Psh... I'm not that clumsy..."

... I hope, Tyson added in his mind.

Kai nodded for him to get in. Tyson slowly put one foot in the boat. It was rocking up and down, left and right. Oh boy. People on TV always made this look so easy… He put the other foot in as well. The rocking got worse. Not good, not good at all!

"Sit down, Tyson, or you'll fall over."

A lot less elegant than he'd liked Tyson sat down on the small wooden bench at the end of the boat. Kai took his seat across from him - a lot more elegant, only because Tyson's weight steadied the boat for him, of course - and reached for the paddles.

Tyson took a moment to soak up this image. This was pretty romantic stuff after all. He had to make sure every detail was echoed into his mind for all eternity!

He then leaned over the side of the boat.

"Let's see where the fish are... Come to Uncle Tyson, little fishies!"

"Lean any further and you will really tip us over."

Oh please. As if it was that easy...

Tyson grinned a lightly bounced up and down, left and right on his bench. The boat bounced with him.

"You can be such a worrywart, Kai," he said. "See? All good."

Kai growled. Tyson continued to bounce.

"Tyson, I swear to god I'll-..."

Kai never got to say what exactly it was he was going to do, because the boat bounced and tipped over before he had the chance.

The water swallowed him up. Oh, it was so cold! Tyson thought his heart was going to stop. The water was everywhere: around him, in his mouth, in his lungs. And then he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt and yank him up.

Tyson coughed and spat out water.

"Kai..." he sputtered. "We'll drown. Or freeze. This is it! I'm sorry it will end this way."

"Just put your feet on the ground and follow me out, will you?" Kai growled between his gritted teeth.

Feet on the ... Oh. Tyson did as he was told and found the water to only reach up to his shoulder. Oh.

Okay, not as deep as he'd thought, but still as cold. Half bouncing, half swimming he followed Kai to the shore. Kai was already pulling of his soaked jacket. Tyson should have probably done the same, but the fact that Kai's wet shirt clung to his upper body like a second skin sort of preoccupied his mind. It nicely showed off his chest as well as Kai's perfectly shaped abs.

He bit his lower lip. He'd just have to reach out and he'd be able to sneak his fingers underneath the wet fabric and trace the outlines of Kai's body. He could-...

"You should at least take off your shirt, Tyson!"

Take off his shirt? Oh, so this was happening? Tyson bit his lower lip and his stomach fluttered.

"Tyson! Snap out of it! Take off the wet shirt, leave shoes and pants so you don't get scratched when we jog back to the house."

Oh! Right! Of course. Man, how embarrassing! Tyson felt his cheeks heat up despite the fact that the rest of his body felt like a Popsicle. He yanked off his jacket and his shirt.

"Sorry Kai..." he muttered.

Kai only sighed and grabbed his hand. Kai's fingers were ice cold... Tyson really felt bad. He just had to rock the boat... Hopefully Kai wasn't going to catch a cold. Tyson would feel miserable if he did. And Tyson would never hear the end of this. Thankfully Kai was healthy as a horse.

Tyson picked up the pace.

The goal was the nice, big bathtub in his bathroom.


	18. Bonus Chapter Part III

Disclaimer: Don't own Beyblade, don't own the rights to the movie.

 **A/N** : Hello dear readers,

this is it! This is the final chapter of Felix Culpa! Gosh I thought the day would never come when I'd write this. But here it is.

I want to take this moment to say

 **THANK YOU**

to each and every one of you who took the time to leave me feedback, who followed, faved and who read this to the end. It's so important to me, you have no idea.

And now, one last time, please enjoy this chapter of Felix Culpa!

* * *

Bonus Chapter Part III

* * *

With a sigh Kai stepped out of the steaming shower. He felt alive again. As he reached for his towel, the pile of soaking wet clothes in the bathtub caught his eye. This was such a Tyson thing to do, Kai wondered why he was even surprised. He shook his head, reached for the towel and quickly dried himself off. With the towel wrapped around his waist he went into his dressing room. Only moments later he left the room dressed in plain sweatpants, a T-Shirt and a large knitted sweater – the aftereffects of his involuntary swim earlier.

Being that Tyson wanted to take a bath and would probably soak for a while, Kai went downstairs by himself.

Mrs. Wu had already lit the fire in the big fireplace and the living area was cozy and warm. She had been putting away their lunch when Kai and Tyson had stormed up the stairs, soaking wet. She had taken one look at them and sent them straight up, while she immediately took to the fire place. Apparently that was not the only thing the housekeeper had prepared for them. On the kitchen island Kai found a tray of freshly brewed tea. He poured some into a cup and sat down at the island. The tea warmed his body from the inside and chased away the last of the cold. Kai put down the cup and pulled out his phone. Soaked. It had been in his pocket when he'd fallen into the water. Kai pressed the home button. Nothing happened, except for a bit of water dripping down. Maybe it would come around once it had dried. Kai left his useless phone where it was, and took his cup over to the fireplace where he settled into a large armchair close to the fire. A pile of books caught his eye. Tyson would be a while… He might as well. So Kai began to go through the titles.

* * *

Tyson soaked in his bath until he resembled a boiled lobster. At first it had been pure physical need to stay in the bath. Then it was his embarrassment over the whole tipping-the-boat-over incident that made him want to put off the inevitable … facing Kai. Heck, Kai wasn't gonna bite his head off for it – and even if, been there, done that! Kai probably wasn't even going to make a snarky remark – he would have done so already. Tyson was just completely and utterly embarrassed. But when his cheeks had turned bright red and his fingers looked like he'd aged half a century, Tyson knew he'd have to get out. And so he did; very, _very_ carefully. The last thing he wanted was Kai to find him butt‑naked and passed out in the bathroom…

Once he was dressed, Tyson took a deep breath and made his way downstairs. Kai was sitting in an armchair by the fire and read. Tyson smiled. How homey this looked.

He walked over and sat down on the armrest.

"Hey."

"Hey," Kai replied and looked up at him. "I was just wondering if you were lying passed out and butt‑naked in the bath."

It was scary how much in-synch their brains were at times…

"I was extra careful."

Kai put his book down.

"Let's get you some tea. You must be de-hydrated."

He took Tyson's hand and pulled him to the kitchen. There, Tyson was maneuvered onto a barstool at the kitchen island. He watched Kai check the teapot. Apparently, the tea didn't pass his test: Kai muttered something under his breath, slightly shook his head and eventually poured the contents from the pot.

Tyson propped his elbows on the countertop and rested his chin on his entwined fingers. His eyes followed Kai's every movement. He wondered if he'd ever seen Kai prepare tea before? Not that he could recall. No tea, no nothing, now that he thought about it. There had been the stew, but that had been cooked in the dead of night with no one there to witness. Tyson smiled. That Kai was now preparing tea for him made him feel very special. He watched closely. Kai had a very efficient way of making tea. Not a single unnecessary movement, every one of them slow and precise. Not that it was much of a surprise.

"Thank you."

Kai just nodded. Was this his normal way of not wasting words, or was he mad? Tyson couldn't tell.

"I'm sorry Kai. For earlier."

Kai paused his tea-making and looked up.

"Don't worry about it."

He didn't seem mad. Tyson still felt the need to apologize further.

"I do feel bad about it, though. I mean, you took me out there for a boat ride and I-…"

Kai interrupted him, "I didn't take you out there to see the lake, and I honestly didn't remember a boat being there."

Tyson's head shot up.

"Huh? You didn't?"

Kai shook his head.

"I tried telling you, but you were so ecstatic about the fish and what-not."

"Then what did you want to show me?"

Kai smirked.

"Maybe I'll show you tomorrow," he said  
Tomorrow? Maybe? That wasn't gonna do, Tyson was bursting with curiosity!

"Oh c'mon, tell me!"

Tyson beat his eyelashes and Kai.

"Pretty please?"

Whether it was the eyelashes or the pretty please, it worked.

Kai shrugged and said, "There is a Bey-arena in the middle of the forest. I thought we could take Dragoon and Dranzer for a spin."

"What! That is so cool!" Tyson was on the edge of his seat. "Let's go there now!"

Kai shook his head.

"Pretty please?" Tyson tried again.

"What are you, a twelve-year old girl?"

Tyson frowned. Okay, so the pretty please didn't work. It must have been batting the eyelashes then.

"Why not?" he complained.

Kai did his brow-arching thing. Tyson's heart skipped a beat and he felt his cheeks heat up. When did this start to be sexy?

"It's dark out," Kai said. "Weren't you concerned about that earlier? And you might catch a cold. We can go tomorrow."

Dark, cold forest. Dark and cold forest. Dark and cold… This was an excellent distraction from his raging hormones!

Then the cause of his raging hormones sat down next to him and put a steaming cup of tea in front of him. His heartrate picked up speed again and Tyson knew it was useless to try and stop the blush again.

Would this ever stop?

"What do you want to do until dinner?"

Tyson nipped on his tea. It was too hot to taste of much. He quickly blew on it and tried again. This time it did not burn his tongue. And it was the best tea Tyson had ever tasted – obviously!

"What do I … Oh, I know." Tyson grinned and suggested, "Why don't you keep reading in that book of yours while I snoop about the house? I'm going to do it anyway, and you know it."

Kai locked eyes with him for a second. Enough to send Tyson's hormones on a rampage again. Did Kai know what it was he was doing to him?

Then Kai sighed.

"Fine. Snoop away. It's not going to be as interesting as you think."

* * *

And Tyson really did snoop away. Not that this surprised Kai. Neither did the fact that Tyson was overjoyed at the sight of dinner. Kai smiled. Tyson's enthusiasm and joyfulness was one of the things he loved most about him.

After dinner Tyson stretched and sighed contently. Kai couldn't help but notice how the shirt rode up when he did… Kai swallowed hard. If it had been anyone but Tyson, he would have thought he'd done it on purpose to turn him on.

Yes. Turn him on. As in rip that shirt of his body turned on.

Oh god, what was he, an animal?

Get a grip, Hiwatari, the told himself and averted his eyes.

He was forced to look back at Tyson when moments later he said, "So, I found this massive collection of DVDs in one of the rooms upstairs. Do you want to watch one? And can I pick?"

"Sure."

"Sweet!"

Tyson grinned.

"Because I happento have picked one already. It's kind of a chick-flic, but Maxi swears it's really funny and one of those must-see classics."

"Go on," Kai said.

The word 'chick-flic' had set his nerves on high alert. Was this a test? Or was Tyson seriously suggesting two guys to watch a romantic comedy together?

" _Pretty Woman_!"

"You're joking!"

Well, if this was a test he'd just failed it. The words had simply slipped out, no way of holding them back. At least Tyson as right about the classics part – Kai had heart of this movie.

"Err, no… I won't mind if you get bored and start reading though."

"Fine, let's give it a go."

The happy smile on his face was worth it!

* * *

Shortly thereafter Tyson had settled on the large, fluffy carpet in front of the fireplace with a large pile of snacks next to him. Kai's housekeeper was truly a saint! The shelf had been stacked with everything he could have wished for and Tyson had taken as much as he could carry over to his spot on the carpet. Kai had pointed out to him that there was enough space on the couch to seat the entire team, but Tyson found the spot next to the fireplace too cozy to resist. So Kai had shrugged and sat down in his armchair again.

Tyson genuinely enjoyed the movie. It was obvious from the start who the love interest was going to be, but it was nonetheless entertaining. It helped that the male main character had some Kai traits. Or maybe that was just Tyson finding Kai in everything he saw and did. But Kai was going to be a business man, and he did wear a suit the other day.

The suit. Oh yes, Tyson remembered. He didn't think he was every going to forget that. Kai had looked _so_ handsome in it. He just wanted to grab that tie and pull him into a kiss, to trail his fingers over the soft fabric and let the jacket fall from Kai's shoulders, to run his hands over Kai's chest that would only be covered by the thin material of the shirt and then, slowly, unbutton it one by one… Tyson subconsciously bit his lower lip. Regardless of how handsome he looked in them, the tie would have to go at one point, as would the shirt. And then…

Tyson then realized what he was doing and took a deep breath. Better try to focus on the movie for now. On the female actress, maybe.

And so he did. After a minute or something he succeeded, too. Tyson laughed at a scene and reached for a piece of chocolate. Well, 'piece' might not have been the correct word for it anymore.

"Darn!" he muttered.

He probably should not have put the chocolate so close to the fireplace – he had melted chocolate all over his fingers.

What a mess!

* * *

The movie certainly was not one Kai would have chosen, but he endured. Not long into the movie, something else caught his attention. Tyson had not only managed to melt his sweets, he'd also successfully covered himself with them. And was now slowly licking the melted chocolate off his fingers.

Kai was sure Tyson was completely oblivious as to what this was doing to him. That did not make this any better. He tried hard to look away, but it just was not possible. Mesmerized he watched Tyson's tongue glide up his finger, circle the top… He truly was a masochist.

Kai took a deep breath and forced his eyes on the screen. He kept staring at the moving images yet had no idea what was going on. His thoughts still circled around Tyson and-…

Oh enough. What had become of his self-control?

"Hey Kai, look!"

"Huh?"

Tyson laughed and pointed at the screen.

"It's just like us!"

Kai observed for a moment. The female character was having a picnic in front of the TV, the male character working on the side.

He raised a brow.

"So that would make me the lonely billionaire and you the prostitute?"

Tyson sat up, his face bright red.

"I err, yeah… that… the way they… except for the…" he stuttered. "I mean, you're in business school and … but I'm obviously not… it's not that I wouldn't… it's just…"

Tyson fell silent and began to gnaw on his bottom lip.

Not that he wouldn't. That was all Kai had heard and something inside him snapped. He leaned forward, grabbed Tyson's shirt with both hands and pulled him into a kiss. Kai hated himself for losing control like this, but enough was enough. He wanted Tyson, he needed Tyson.

And it seemed Tyson thought the same.

* * *

After a split-second of surprise, Tyson returned the kiss. They'd shared many kisses before, but none had been this passionate, this hungry. He wrapped his arms around Kai's neck. With one hand he grabbed the back of Kai's shirt, while the other dug into Kai's hair. He felt Kai's hands on his back pulling him closer and closer until their bodies were pressed together. Through the thin fabric of his shirt Tyson felt Kai's soft knitted sweater. Not close enough. Without interrupting the kiss his fingers found their way under Kai's sweater and pushed it up. Tyson let his fingers trace the outline of Kai's stomach underneath the T-shirt. He hesitated for a moment, then slipped his fingers underneath Kai's shirt. Kai's hands and lips disappeared and Tyson, slightly irritated, opened his eyes. Did Kai not want this after all?

Quite the contrary. He watched Kai take off his sweater in one swift movement. His shirt rode up halfway, exposing those abs Tyson had dreamed of countless times. The blood was rushing in his ears, his heart was racing. Following an instinct, Tyson yanked Kai's shirt off as well. In Kai's eyes he could detect a hint of surprise. But the crimson eyes were not only surprised, they also were hungry. He locked eyes with Kai and trailed his fingers down his chest, his sides to his stomach. His hands came to rest on the hem of Kai's sweatpants. Kai had let him do. Now Kai was done waiting. He dug his fingers into Tyson's hair and sealed his lips with another kiss as hot as the fire rackling in the fireplace. The feeling of their lips moving together, their tongues circling each other, the feeling of Kai's hot skin underneath his fingertips… all this made his head spin and at the same time only made him want more.

Kai's hands suddenly were under his shirt, stroking his back. The touch sent shivers down Tyson's spine and he gasped. Whether it was surprise or simply lust he didn't know. He didn't care either. The only thing that mattered to him was Kai and how much he wanted him. Kai locked eyes with him. In the crimson eyes Tyson clearly saw the unspoken question, a question to which he all to willingly nodded yes to. Tyson's heart was pounding so heart in his chest that it wouldn't have surprised Tyson if it had jumped out. Kai pulled him up and towards the stairs.

He then remembered something.

His cheeks feverishly blushing he muttered, "What about …y'know, safety?"

"There's glass in front of the fire. It's perfectly safe to leave alone," Kai replied.

Oh he just had to misunderstand.

"I wasn't talking about that ..."

Kai stopped. Was he blushing? He was. And it only made him look hotter. How was this even possible? Tyson didn't know.

"I, err, got that covered."

Tyson pulled him upstairs.

* * *

When Kai came downstairs the next morning, he found his phone sitting on the table in a bowl of rice. He doubted that would have had any effect whatsoever, but nonetheless pressed the power button. To his great surprise the display lit up. Mrs Wu had worked a true miracle here.

His phone showed several text messages from various people, mostly Tala, and 13 missed calls from that red headed plague.

As if Tala had sensed it, the phone rang. Reluctantly Kai picked up.

"What?"

"Well good morning sunshine! A little birdie has told me you took little Tyson up to the mountains! That and the fact you haven't answered your phone in 20 hours - could it be you've finally done it?"

"Goodbye Tala."

"Oooh not a single insult. You must be in an exceptionally good mood today - you have, haven't you?"

"I'm hanging up now."

"Oh my god that is a yes! I am so proud of you Kai, you-..."

And Kai hung up.

He switched off his phone, poured himself a cup of the coffee Mrs. Wu had prepared and with a little smile on his lips watched the first sunbeams work their way through the morning fog.

The smile grew even wider when two arms wrapped themselves around and Tyson's voice whispered into his ear, "Come back to bed?"

Tyson's fingers entwined with his and when Kai followed him upstairs he thought he'd never felt happier.

* * *

The End!

* * *

 **A/N** : So there we are. The last words are written and read. I hope you enjoyed this nd would love to hear from you - one last time. (Aww, getting sentimental here.) Bye guys, take care. ~Bird


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